


Checking In

by The_Samurai_Prince



Category: Danny Phantom, The Shining - Stephen King
Genre: Almost Psychological Horror, F/M, Gen, Horror, Isolation, Sam-Tucker-and Jazz make cameos in the story!, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, The Overlook Hotel screws with Danny's mind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-09-26 13:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Samurai_Prince/pseuds/The_Samurai_Prince
Summary: Danny takes a winter caretaker job in Colorado to pay off his extended college. But upon staying there, he witnesses strange happenings in the hotel. Is he going insane? ...Or is something making him go crazy? Danny Phantom/The Shining crossover. GrayGhost aka Danny/Valerie. (Dani is in this too!) No PP.





	1. Welcome to the Overlook

**Author's Note:**

> Okay then! I decided to make a(nother) DP and The Shining crossover story! :) Yep! My old version in FF.Net was just...not that great actually, so I decided to not continue it and start over with a new plot. Besides, I was starting out with my writing, and I really was just a beginner at it back then. But hopefully now, this new story will be better in the storytelling department and is much more successful! ^_^
> 
> Either way, hope you all enjoy this story! :D

_ **CHECKING IN** _

* * *

_June 1996_

* * *

The rental car hummed as it rolled up the mountain. In the back seat, a small boy clothed propped his arms on the car door, observing the natural beauty of the mountainous terrain. He had short dark raven hair and blue eyes that complemented his blue shirt. He wore denim overalls and dulled red tennis shoes. He pressed his face against the cool window, mesmerized by the mighty mountains of the Rockies.

"Don't do that for too long, or your face will stay that way." advised a girl sitting on the opposite side of the back seat. She was two years older than the five-year-old boy, had her red-orange hair in a ponytail, a white shirt showcasing a red heart on it, and little jean shorts that reach to her shins, along with white tennis shoes.

The boy retracted his face from the window and turned his head to glance at her with a scowl. "Leave me alone, Jazz."

"Sorry, Danny, it's my job as a big sister to make sure you're not doing harm to yourself." Jazz said with crossed arms and a smirk.

"Doing harm? I'm just pressing my face to the glass, how is that harming myself?" The boy named Danny retorted.

"Well, the human skin is almost like a rubber material, you see. The more you mess with it, especially with the skin on your face, the more deformed you'll make it. The skin on you basically have cells that-"

"Mom! She's acting nerdy again!" Danny exclaimed in exasperation.

Their mother, Maddie Fenton, who has shoulder-length red-orange hair, glanced back at them in her passenger seat and smiles at her kids. "Don't worry, kids, we're almost there. Just hang on a little longer."

"That's right!" said the jolly voice of their dark-haired father as he drives the rental car they're in. "Just a few more minutes and we'll be at our hotel! Just look at all that scenery of the Rocky Mountains until then! It's absolutely breathtaking, isn't it, kids?"

"I _was_ enjoying it until Jazz said something," Danny mumbled.

"Hey, I think it's all beautiful too!" Jazz defended with a scowl. "I'm just trying to not make you look like a dork pressing your face like that."

"Yeah, _sure_. You try to make yourself sound smart every single chance you get." Danny wryly said to her.

"Well, do you _you _know about the cellular structure of skin cells-"

"Not listening! La-la-la-la-la!" Danny put his fingers in his ears and started to make a racket.

"_Danny_! This is really cool stuff! You should learn this! Ugh! You're being _immature_!" Jazz groaned irritably.

As the kids argue, Maddie turned her head back to the road, shaking her head as she sighed tiredly.

"Heh, don't worry, Maddiekins," Jack quietly told her with a nervous grin. "We're almost there. Just a few, maybe even a couple of more minutes."

Maddie turned to her husband with a smile. "Oh, you know I'm patient with them, Jack. But you got to admit, this is a little bit out of the way."

"What, it's just in the mountains," Jack shrugged with an almost sheepish smile. "I mean, sure, it's an hour and a half away from Denver, but this place is magnificent! It's a nice four-storied Colonial Revival building that looks absolutely gorgeous, as well as having a little bar and restaurant inside it. The amenities are top-notch, the activities and things to do at this hotel are fun, and the _location_! Ah, it is _beautiful_!"

"It certainly sounds like it is. And you said your friend works there?" Maddie asked her husband.

"Heh, yep! Good ol' Billy Watson! He handles the boiler and everything! He was one of my older cousin's good friends back in my old log cabin days when I was just a teenager. He was part of the reason why I was so interested in ghosts!"

"Oh, which reminds me, Sweetie, there..." Maddie takes a brief glance back at the bickering children, until she turned to Jack and whispered quietly. "There aren't really any _ghosts_ in the hotel, are there?"

Jack sighed pitifully. "Sadly, no there aren't."

"Jack, that's a good thing. We don't our kids to be attacked by a ghost or be at least scared by one." Maddie reminded him.

"Oh, well, heh, yeah, I mean...that would ruin the whole purpose of this vacation, I would think." Jack murmured in embarrassment.

Maddie smiled. "Well, either way, that's good to know. So, this Billy Watson got you into ghosts?"

Jack smiled back at her. "Yep! He used to tell me old stories about them all the time! I don't know if he actually saw any, or if he even believes in ghosts in general, but it absolutely sparked my interest in them nonetheless! Heh, he's a real cut-up too!" Jack though frowned a little bit, "Although, he does...well, have some pretty adult stories that are...well, pretty much inappropriate, really. But he's still a real good guy!"

Maddie blinked at that. "Oh..." she looked back at the kids, who were still arguing. "This...Billy Watson's not a compulsive cusser, is he?"

Jack was awkwardly silent for a moment. "...Uh...maybe? I mean, it's been years since I've seen him. I'm pretty sure he cleaned up his language by now."

Maddie gave him a wide-eyed look.

Noticing this, Jack calmed her down, "Oh come on, Sweetie! I'll just tell him to not use dirty language in front of the kids."

"Who has dirty language?" the voice of Danny inquired from the back.

Maddie was quick to react as she looked back at her son. "Uh, no one, sweetie!"

"Actually, I heard that too." Jazz raised her brow. "What are you and dad-"

Jack quickly interrupted, "Um, hey! How about we play a little "I Spy"! Uh, I spy with my little eye, something that's...rocky!"

"...The Rocky Mountains?" Danny asked in a questionable tone.

"Yeah! Wow, Danny, first try! Great job! You are super good at this game! Jazzypants-Dear, you need to catch up!" Jack told her, making Jazz frowned. It was then Jack called out, "Oh hey! We're finally here! Look over there, kids!"

The kids look to their right and saw where they were staying.

Danny was the first to express his thoughts. "Whoooa..." his eyes widened at the sight of the hotel that was in the distance.

"Wow." Jazz simply said, impressed as she blinked. "That's a nice looking hotel."

"My, it certainly is, Jack," Maddie told him in delight.

The rental car they were driving went up a nice entryway and they drove their way to the hotel grounds. They passed beautiful scenery, such as rocky formations, hilly grounds, grassy fields, even topiary animals adorned the front yard of the hotel. But the far backdrop of the Rocky Mountains behind it was the most awe-inspiring.

They soon passed one of the parking lots as they drove the roundabout driveway. They parked in front of the hotel, making the building's size to Danny look absolutely grand.

Jack put the car in park and turned around to face the kids with a grin. "Okay, kids! Get ready to have some fun! We've now arrived at the Overlook Hotel!"

Danny and Jazz blinked at their father.

* * *

As soon as they got their luggage out for the bellhop, they walked up to the covered front porch and entered the Overlook Hotel. Danny was mesmerized so far by everything he saw at the property, and if he thought the outside looked nice, then he was in for a nice surprise for the inside. The interior of the lobby was quite quaint and lodge-like, with two sitting areas and small brick fireplaces accompanying them, the mantles being a dark wooden oak, along with some taxidermy animal heads displayed on the walls. Everything in the lobby, even outside on the large porch, seemed to hold some sort of history in every wooden floor panel that they walked on. It all looked old-timey, like he was stepping back in time! There was even an old looking elevator. They have an _elevator_! There were also stairs next to it that lead up to the floors, but he wanted to ride that elevator if he can!

Danny couldn't help but look at the place in awe.

"Wow...this place looks really cool," Danny gaped in wonder.

"It does look nice." Jazz agreed with a smile to her younger brother.

Their parents walked up to the hotel reception desk, Jack giving the receptionist a big grin. "Hey there! We've been booked a room by one of your workers here! His name is Billy Watson! We're the Fenton family!"

The lady receptionist smiled, "Oh yes! You've been booked a four-day trip here by Billy! Welcome to the Overlook!"

As if on cue, a portly man in his forties came around the corner of the reception desk's right side wearing some worker clothes. "Hey! Jack, my boy!"

"Billy!" Jack exclaimed as they gave each other a big and manly hug.

Billy let go of the hug as he laughed, "Well, ain't that typical? I go to the crapper and I almost miss you and your family!"

Jack laughed as well, while Maddie lightly chuckled but winced at Bill's choice of words.

Danny blinked, "Mom, what's a crapper?"

Maddie winced again and turned to her son as she laughed a little weakly. "Um, well...it's-"

"The toilet." Jazz said nonchalantly.

Maddie blinked at her daughter. "Um...yes. How did you know that, dear?" she said with a raised brow.

"I read the dictionary." Jazz beamed as if she won something.

"Yeesh, you are a nerd," Danny said, his eyes rolling. He turned to his mother. "But why is it called 'crapper'?"

"Uuuuh..."

"Billy, watch your language around the kids." the receptionist sternly said to Bill.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't see the tykes until now!" Bill chuckled sheepishly. "But hey, at least I didn't say the other word! You got to at least give me that much credit!"

"What's the other word?" Danny asked.

"Uh, hey!" Jack exclaimed suddenly. "Why don't we, uh, get something to eat?" he turned to Danny and Jazz. "I bet you kids are famished!"

"Oh, uh, yes," Maddie said in rushed agreement. "It's almost lunchtime, and you kids haven't eaten anything yet!"

Danny smiled, seemingly forgetting his question. "Okay!"

"I am a bit peckish right now." Jazz told them.

"Oh, well, how about I treat you all for lunch?" Bill offered. "I promise I'll behave myself! You should try the food here, it is excellent! Full of hearty ingredients and the head cook can make a mean pork roast!"

"Wow, thanks Billy!" Jack grinned. "Pork roast sounds mighty good right now!"

The receptionist smiled. "I highly recommend it! Dick is very talented in the cooking department!"

"Yeah! You guys should meet him! He's one heck of a guy! Real nice too!" Bill told them.

"Indeed. Oh, and before you do get something to eat, here are your room keys." The receptionist gave them their reserved room keys.

"Oh, why thank you all!" Maddie smiled back at them kindly before she and Jack took the keys from the lady receptionist.

"Oh, it's no problem!" Bill assured them. "We hope you all have a great time here at the Overlook Hotel!" He turned his attention to the kids. "And we have lots of activities for you kids, not only in the town nearby, but here too! There are board games in each of the rooms, there's a croquet field out there to play croquet, a playground, hiking trails around here, heck, you can even play chess in the lobby! And if you want, with your parents, of course, you can wander around the hotel grounds and take in this beautiful scenery!"

Danny and Jazz smiled at the activities that Bill told them. "That's awesome, Mr. Watson! Thank you!" Jazz said.

"Yeah, thanks!" Danny said with an equal smile. "Is it okay if I ride the elevator up also?"

"Oh, you mean the bellhop elevator? Heh, sure, little guy!" Bill chuckled.

"Mom, Dad! Can I ride the elevator after we eat!?" Danny asked in excitement.

Maddie smiled at her son's enthusiasm. "Sure, Honey!"

Jack chuckled. "Course you can, sport!"

"Yaaay!" Danny cheered, his fists up in the air.

_'This trip is gonna be awesome! I'm loving this place so far!' _Danny thought in excitement.

* * *

When they reached the restaurant, there were people eating in a wide and large room, with multiple round white-clothed tables set everywhere, as well as a huge bar area that the took up almost a whole wall. The Fentons and Bill were seated at a table, and soon, an African-American male, who was in his forties as well, came up to them in a white chef's outfit, his bald head shining like the silverware that was on the table, and having a happy smile on his face.

"Billy! Hey there! How's it going?" greeted the other man.

"Hey, Dick!" Bill said jovially. "Nothing much! This here's the family that I told you about, the Fentons!" Bill introduced the family to the chef named Dick. "This guy right here is my friend, who's also my other friend's cousin, Jack Fenton, and his wife and kids! Fenton family, this here is Richard Dick Hallorann, the head cook of the hotel!"

"Heh, well, while my name is Richard, most of my friends just call me Dick. It's nice to finally meet you all." Dick kindly smiled and nodded.

"Likewise!" Maddie said with a smile of her own. "Madeline Fenton, but I prefer to be called Maddie. "

"And my name is Jasmine, and I prefer to be called Jazz!" Jazz told the chef with a smile as well.

"My name's Danny!" Danny introduced himself with a happy smile.

"Well, hello to all of you!" Dick greeted them with a kinder smile. "Welcome to the Overlook! We hope y'all enjoy your stay here!"

"Oh, by the way, Dick, I'm paying for everyone's meal! It's a special occasion, so why not, am I right?" Bill told the cook.

"Really? Wow, I never thought I see the day!" laughed Dick.

"Hey now, I'm not cheap like Ullman. I mean, you think he would get a new boiler? Nope! He said that ones 'fine' back there! The one that's full of wear and rust!" Bill jested.

"Ullman?" Maddie asked.

"Wear and rust?" Jazz asked cautiously.

"Oh Bill, you and your big mouth," Dick said to him in mirth with a slight shake of his head.

"Wait, the boiler?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Ah, it's nothing! It's just the boiler in the hotel is really old. It was in the hotel ever since it's founding and construction in 1909." Bill told them.

"1909?" repeated Maddie, impressed. "Wow, this hotel is pretty old in itself."

"Yeah! That's like..._super _old," said Danny throwing his two cents in.

Chuckling, Bill continued. "Which makes this place a one-of-a-kind destination back then! And Ullman, or Stuart, as that's his first name, is the hotel manager. He's a little stiff..."

"And...what else?" Jazz asked him inquisitively.

"Nah, he's just a little stiff." Bill then laughed at his joke, while Jack laughed as well and Danny giggled. Maddie just rolled her eyes in good nature at the men, while Jazz still looked kind of confused.

"Hey now, you better watch yourself, Billy. Ullman could come over here for lunch and he would overhear you talkin' about him." Dick casually warned him.

"Oh, he's in his office! He won't be out for an hour!" Bill chuckled. "But eh, you're probably right. I should probably shut my trap. So! What's on the menu today, Dick?"

"Yeah! I heard from Bill you make a mean pot roast!" Jack grinned.

"Oh, well, heh-heh, I try!" Dick gave out a shy smile. "And as for the menu itself, well, I can't really name them all on the top of my head, so how about I get you all some menus as well as some kids menus for the little ones? I'll tell you all the specials when I get back with them!"

As Dick went over to the service counter to get some menus, Danny looked around the place with a smile and thought, _'Wow...1909? This place is _ancient_...' _Dick then came back to give them their menus.

"Okay! Now that we got menus, I'll tell you all the specials! We have glazed duck with creamy-"

While Dick was telling them the specials, Danny was looking at the kid's menu. Deciding what he wants he waited for when it was his turn to order. Danny looked around the old historic and rustic decor one more time, until he thought of something else...

Little Danny frowned. _'Wait...if this place is really old, then...does that mean it has ghosts? I really hope not. Ghosts are supposed to live in old places, right? That's what Dad usually says...'_

"Danny?"

He heard his mother's voice call him. Danny blinked and looked at Maddie who smiled sweetly at him. "Dick is waiting for your order, Sweetheart."

Danny turned his head to Dick, who...looked to be blinking back at him...

"Oh! Um..." Danny looked at the kids' menu quickly. "Uh...ah! I would like the cheeseburger, please!" he smiled.

Dick looked at him for a moment, but then he smiled...although it looked kind of forced. "Good choice, little man!"

Danny smiled back, oblivious at the uncomfortable feeling that's residing in Richard right now.

They all ordered their meals and conversed with each other, enjoying each others company and the service of the staff. It was looking to be a great stay in this hotel...

A great stay at the Overlook Hotel.

* * *

_Four days later..._

* * *

Danny felt a little crestfallen.

It was the last day of their stay at the Overlook Hotel, and Danny was sitting on a chair in the lobby in one of the sitting areas. His mom and sister are with him sitting on chairs as well, across and next to him respectively. His father was packing their luggage into their rental car with the help of the bellhop.

His mother looked at her kids, which Jazz was reading a kid's novel and Danny was just sitting there looking dejected. Seeing her son's sad expression made her frown as well, as she decided to cheer Danny up. "Oh, Danny, I know you had fun here, but we have to go now."

Jazz looked away from her book and at her little brother. "Yeah, Danny. It was fun while we stayed here, but we got to go now."

Danny sighed solemnly.

Disheartened to see her son in such a state, Maddie was about to say something else, when a new voice came over to them.

"Oh hey there!" called out the voice of Dick as he entered the lobby and over to where they were sitting.

Maddie gave him a slight smile. "Oh hi, Dick."

"Hey, Mr. Hallorann!" Jazz greeted him.

Danny looked up at the man and looked back down, muttering, "Hey..."

Dick frowned. "What's the matter, Danny?"

The young boy sighed, "I don't want to go now..."

The older man's frown deepened, feeling sad for the boy.

"Danny-Dear, we can't stay here forever. What about home?" Maddie asked him.

"I don't want to go back to boring old Amity Park. I want to stay here." Danny softly whined.

"But Danny, we have to. That's where we live." Jazz reminded him.

"I don't wanna," Danny mumbled grumpily.

"Danny, what about your friends?" Maddie asked him sweetly.

"I don't have any friends!" Danny slightly exclaimed. He crossed his arms and pouted as he kept looking down at his feet that were hanging from the chair.

Maddie frowned sympathetically for her son, while Jazz frowned as well. Dick though, stood there, not saying anything as he stared at the downhearted boy.

"...I don't think that's true." Dick told Danny.

Maddie and Jazz looked up to Richard as Danny turned his head around to look up at him in surprise.

"Huh?" Danny inquired.

"There has to be at least one friend you have back at your home," Dick said to him with a smile.

Now Danny fully turned around, kneeling on the chair as he faced him. "What do you mean? How would you know?"

"Well, was anyone ever nice to you back at home?" Dick asked him.

"...Yeah..."

"Well, who was nice to you?"

"...A kid named Tucker, I think." Danny answered as he thought about it.

"Tucker, huh? Did you two happen to do anything together?" Dick asked with a warm smile.

"...Well...we drew stuff...and we talked about what we want to be when we grow up."

"Really? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"...An astronaut."

"An astronaut? Wow, that sounds like a great goal!" Dick complimented.

Danny blushed a bit as he shyly looked down. "Thanks..."

Dick chuckled. "Well, there you go. You have two reasons for you to go back home."

"Huh?" Danny looked up at him confused.

"Well, you seem to get along with this Tucker boy pretty well, and you want to be an astronaut. You can't be able to see Tucker again if you stay here, and you _definitely _can't be an astronaut if you're gonna stay here at this hotel."

Danny's eyes widened in awareness. "Oh...yeah..." The boy looked sheepish upon finding that out.

"So, do you still want to stay here?" Dick asked him.

"...I guess not."

Dick smiled. "Danny, you're still young and you got your whole life ahead of you. I'm sure you'll make friends when you grow up, as well as be an astronaut."

Danny looked at him hopefully. "You think so?"

"Absolutely! Just be yourself and study hard!" Dick advised him with a smile.

Danny knelt there in his seat, his expression thoughtful. After a couple of seconds, he looked up at the man with a big smile. "Okay! I'll go home then!"

Maddie smiled at the scene, while Jazz looked impressed with Richard.

It was then Jack came into the lobby from outside. "Okay! The car's parked out here and we got all the luggage in with it! We got to arrive at the airport in three hours, so we need to go!"

"Okay! We're coming, Dad!" Danny called out to him. He hopped off the seat and began to dash over there, but he stopped for a moment and turned around to say to Dick. "Thank you, Mr. Hallorann!"

"Yes, thank you," Maddie said appreciatively as she got up from her seat and gave him a smile and a nod.

Dick smiled back and chuckled. "No problem! I hope to see you and your family back here someday!"

"Yeah! I hope so too!" Danny grinned. "I really enjoyed my stay!"

"Me too!" Jazz smiled.

"We all did." Maddie smiled also. "Thank you and the staff's warm hospitality."

"Aww, shucks! That's what a hotel does! Make the guests feel right at home!" Dick grinned.

They say their goodbyes to Mr. Hallorann, with Danny turning around and telling the cook. "Bye, Dick! Thank you for the food!"

Dick laughed as he waved. "Glad you love it, Danny! You be good now, ya hear?"

As soon as they left and were outside of the hotel, Danny went down the stairs of the porch with his family, humming a little tune.

_'Wow, Dick was really nice!' _thought Danny. He stopped for a bit and turned to look at the hotel.

Danny smiled. '_I want to go back here someday!'_

When Danny turned back to the car...

_ **Danny.** _

He froze. "Huh?" Danny turned around to see who said his name.

...No one was there. Not on the stairs, not on the porch, not even right behind him.

Danny blinked and looked around all over from where he stood. He was about to check his surroundings one more time when he heard his mother call him, "Danny-Dear! We have to go!"

"Oh! Um, okay, Mom!" Danny climbed in the car and shut his door. They drove off to the airport...leaving the Overlook Hotel.

* * *

Dick stood there still, watching them leave out the door inside the lobby.

A blank look was on his face, almost like he was contemplating something. He took a deep breath and sighed.

_'...You'll thank me in the long run, Danny.'_

And with that, Dick turned around and made his way out of the lobby, back to where the kitchen is.


	2. The Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nineteen years later, Danny, along with the company of Dani, goes back to the hotel to apply for the winter caretaker job to fund his extended college...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Danny's birthday be in July and I changed his age to five in the first chapter. Also, I'm putting Dani's 'birthday' in March, and Valerie's birthday will be in October. I hope that doesn't mess anything up. ^^;

_Nineteen Years Later..._

* * *

Danny Fenton drove his green and black-striped Mustang up the road into the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains, his car window down as his arm was outside to feel the cool brisk air flowing through his arm and fingers. It was a beautiful early July summer Friday and Danny couldn't feel any better. No snow was coming down as he made his way to his destination, going through hoops and loops of mountain roads.

The young man smiled. Danny certainly has grown since then, still having his short hair, which frames his face nicely, and is clean-shaven. He's wearing a blue hoodie jacket with a red shirt and some jeans, along with his brown bull boxer shoes. At the age of twenty-four, he stands around six feet tall now, and has a nice build, his muscles defined, but at the same time very lean and not overly muscular.

Done with his master's degree in science at a university in Boulder, Colorado, Danny wanted to continue his education and get a doctorate, which he could be one step closer to being what he always wanted to be: an astronaut.

Even though he already did that one time.

Smiling at that past memory, he remembered actually going to space once...

There's a secret about Danny that no one knows except for his family and close friends.

One day, when he was 14...he died.

But not in the way you think.

His parents were ghost hunters and not the kind that proves to people that their place is haunted. No, they were actual ghost _hunters_, meaning they hunt ghosts...literally. And thanks to an invention called the Fenton Ghost Portal, a portal that goes to another realm called the Ghost Zone, he gained some...powers beyond explanation.

The reasoning for this was that his parents were trying to create a portal to this Ghost Zone, which they can try to catch a ghost and dissect it for science. However, when they built it, it didn't activate, causing their creation to be a bust. When they left dishearten, Danny, along with his friends, decided to try to make it somehow work. Although, Danny was inside the ring portal, and when his good friend Tucker connected a fuse, it shocked him, basically killing him. The power of the portal rearranged his molecules with ectoplasm, along with bringing him back to life, making him a solid, somewhat living ghost. He also had amazing ghost-related powers that made him into the superhero he is today.

Yep. A superhero. His superhero alter-ego known as Danny Phantom.

Of course, his friends know about his superhero identity, even his sister who figured out soon enough...but it was a different story with his parents.

He told his parents about his superhero side when he was sixteen. He decided to come out with it after going through an alternate reality where he told them his superhero identity when he was fifteen(it's a long story), which they reacted pretty well. So once again, he decided to come out with it when he came home late one night while they were waiting for him to come back home. They handled the news just like he thought they would the first time. And it was with that they approved of his ghost fighting lifestyle and even helped him at times.

So everyone in his circle knows that Danny Phantom is actually Danny Fenton...and that left only one other friend that he hadn't told until the end of his senior in high school.

Valerie Grey.

Their first meeting wasn't exactly...the best, he'll just say. After _accidentally _wrecking her dad's newest security system that he was trying to impress a company with, all the while chasing a dog spirit named Cujo, Valerie sworn to make Phantom pay if it was the last thing she did. Upon doing that, she was given a suit by Danny's nemesis Vlad Masters, aka Vlad Plasmius, another half-ghost known as a halfa. However, Valerie didn't know that Danny Phantom was actually Danny Fenton...which made things difficult for the boy as they dated one time. Luckily, they broke it off before it got too serious, which Valerie was keeping her ghost hunting ego, The Red Huntress, a secret from Danny and from everyone else that she knows besides her father. She said her life was 'busy', meaning she had a lot of ghosts to hunt, but didn't tell Danny that. Although, Danny already knew Val(as he tends to call her at times) was the Red Huntress, which makes trying to fight her even harder than it is when she's on his ghostly tail.

But then, along came a young girl clone name Danielle, or Dani for short. She was a modified clone from Danny's DNA to make her look like Danny a bit, except she looks like a twelve-year-old girl. She has ghost powers and is a halfa as well since she's a part of Danny. When Danny encountered her, it was a rather pleasant first meeting, even though she was to collect his DNA when he wasn't looking. Doing so would make Vlad create the perfect 'son', a clone of Danny that serves him. But once she saw Vlad's true colors, she joined Danny on destroying the clones that Vlad was making and went her own way, thanks to her 'cousin' Danny. She helps Danny out whenever he needs help, and he's really grateful to have her as a sidekick every once in a while.

There was a time, though, that Dani almost died...again, per se. Her whole body was unstable one time and her instability was showing. Danny, along with Valerie, who once hunted Dani by orders of Vlad, helped her get her whole body stabilized, which she now can live like an ordinary girl...who's half-ghost and has ghost powers.

Although, Valerie used Dani to lure Danny one time so she can try to torture him, but Danny convinced her to save Dani and to let him go so he can save her as well. After seeing Danny and Dani interact with each other, Valerie couldn't help but be touched by the exchange of the supposed relatives. Dani thanked Val as well, having a sisterly bond with her ever since. It was also when Val decided to go a 'little' easy on Danny when she realized that he wasn't at all bad, per se. Dani continued to travel around the world a bit until she came back to Amity Park during Danny's senior year. She then stayed at the Fentons', who not only excepted their son's ghost powers, but they also excepted Dani as well, like she was part of the family. The sixteen-year-old girl clone at that time was happy to have a family now and actually go to a school where she met other human friends, as well as meeting up with Valerie again, which she revealed her human self to her.

Seeing Valerie and Dani meeting up again, however, made Danny realized that he has to come out clean for his once girlfriend-turned-friend. Dani didn't know that Danny hasn't told Val about his real identity, which did cause some complications and questions for Valerie.

When he asked Val to meet her a bit after school, he finally revealed his secret to her in private.

Upon revealing it to her, she was shocked...but wasn't angry at him. Which...really surprised him. Valerie said that somehow, deep inside her mind, she knew who Danny Phantom really was, even before Dani came to the picture again. She began to think on how they look alike almost, their names sounding the same, and whenever she hangs out with Danny and his friends, whenever there is a ghost attack, he seems to be gone.

Danny thought at that point that Val was gonna hate him forever either way, but she did something even more surprising. She hugged him.

Confused, Danny wondered if she was just tired and tried to tackle him, causing a laugh from Valerie. Now wondering why she was laughing, Danny asked why she's being so forgiving when he basically ruined her life.

She then explained that he haven't wrecked her life in any way, which puzzled Danny.

"_Danny...believe it or not, you've given me an even _better_ life. I realized...that if you and that ghost dog haven't wrecked all of my Dad's security equipment, I would have been stuck in the A-list group and...never got to meet you. And I never got to be the Red Huntress and have this life I have now. I...never would have been _free _from my mundane routine of living an average life. I feel like I found myself through all of these moments in my life, you know? And my father is doing great with his inventions and having offers from different companies. All in all, I'm actually..._glad. _I'm glad you came into my life, Danny."_

Upon hearing that, Danny felt...at peace. Relieved even. He was glad himself that Valerie didn't hold a grudge on him anymore. Everything was resolved and he still has Val as his friend, and there was no bad blood between her and his ghost self. Everything was..._good_.

And so with that reconciliation between Valerie and Danny Phantom(_never_ Danny Fenton) done, he lived the rest of his days alongside with his friends, family, his new 'cousin', and Valerie with renewed purpose. Like a weight was off his shoulders, a weight that he's been carrying for too long.

He was content with everything.

And with that, he went on fighting ghosts with the help of Dani, Val, and occasionally Sam, Tucker, and Jazz. Even his parents help him out every once in a while! It was so frequent with all the help that Danny was getting, that the ghosts in Amity Park decided to just lay low for a while, making the city be a little safer for its citizens. He also continued with his education, which he did work hard to achieve passable grades, as Mr. Lancer did see some improvement in Danny's studying. The teacher/vice-principal was certainly proud of him, even hinting that he may know of his superhero identity. Either way, things were going really well in Danny's life.

Although, he had to get his doctorate to fully get a job at NASA. And he needed the money to pay for each semester to get to where he has to be, which is why he's traveling over to this place to apply for a job...

A young woman's voice broke away Danny's thoughts. "Wow...you know, even though I've been here before, I just...can't get over how majestic this area is."

Danny glanced at the twenty-two-year-old girl sitting in the passenger seat of his sports car and smiled at her. "Yeah, the Rockies certainly can do that to you."

The girl, who was none other than Dani, glanced back at her cousin with a smile also. Her long raven-black hair was down into a ponytail, her hair framing her pretty face nicely, with her attire consisting of a black hoodie jacket with a blue shirt underneath and simple denim skinny jeans, along with red sneakers. She turned to the window again to look out onto the beautiful scenery displayed out in the daytime. "So, you said you've been to this place before?"

"Yeah. Back when I was just five-years-old turning six." Danny smiled fondly. "It was such a great trip. I met a lot of nice people there too, which made the service even more enjoyable. The food was great, the amenities were awesome, and the scenery is beautiful. I really had a memorable stay there."

"Wow," Dani turned her head back at Danny with a raised eyebrow, "This place sounds really swanky."

Danny chuckled. "In a way, I think it was. We were lucky enough for my Dad to know someone there to give us a four-day vacation. It's a very nice old hotel, and they preserved it really well from what I remembered."

"Huh. So...this will be, like, your second time coming here when you were five?" Dani asked.

"Yep. I really hope it hasn't changed. It had a great charm to it." Danny glanced at Dani with a smile. "You'll love it, Dani. It looks like it has so much history in it."

Dani smiled back and giggled. "I'll take your word for it."

They drove to their destination in a moment of comfortable silence, with Danny driving his car, and Dani looking out the window to see more of the natural beauty of the area.

It was then Dani asked, "So you're really thinking of taking this job, huh?"

"Well, yeah, if the interview goes well." Danny shrugged as he drove. "The recent caretaker is retiring so he and his family can focus on his own family back in Vermont. He also got a new job at a university there as well."

"Huh..." Dani turned to her cousin with a curious raised brow. "And you decided by trying to get this job as a winter caretaker, it will pay for your doctorate semesters?"

"Heh, yeah, pretty much. I couldn't really ask Mom and Dad for any more money, and of course I couldn't ask my friends for help. This is something I need to do...to go the full extra mile to become that astronaut I always wanted to be."

"Hmm..." Dani smirked. "Well, isn't that convenient? Not only did you go to college in Colorado, but you're also near the hotel you stayed at when you were younger. Coincidence?"

Danny chuckled. "Well, I think it's convenient that you and Val are roommates in Denver getting your degrees in biology and robotics respectively, _and _as well as in the same state as me. _Coincidence_?"

Dani rolled her eyes with another smirk. "_Maybe_." She leaned back into the passenger seat, looking out through the window to her right.

They were silent once more...

"...Seriously, I want to thank you again for coming with me, Dani." Danny said to his younger female clone.

Dani turned her head to Danny with a smile. "Hey, of course, Danny. Anything to make you feel confident in getting this job. Val and I are rooting for you, you know?"

Danny smiled back. "Thanks. And tell Val I appreciate her support too when you go back to Denver."

"Will do. Just remember, we have 'movie night' tonight at our place, alright?" Dani told him.

"Sure thing," Danny assured her.

Dani then looked out through the window one more time, until she sees a sign. "Hey, we're almost to the hotel!"

Danny looked at the sign as well. "Yeah! Just ten miles to go!"

Once again, they were both silent...

"...I'm gonna have to be honest, Dani, I'm a little nervous," Danny confessed.

She looked at him weirdly. "You? Nervous? What for?"

"Well, what if someone is already qualified to have this caretaker job? I mean, am I too young? I like to think that I have some experience as well as some responsibility."

Dani raised a perplexed brow. "Dude, you protected a town full of evil ghosts. Plus, you're going on twenty-five and you have a bachelors _and _a masters degree in various fields of sciences. Which, by the way, I still can't believe you passed."

Danny smirked. "Hey, I have my parents and sister to really thank for that. If my folks didn't fill in my time of fighting ghosts and let me study, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on what I need to learn. And Jazz always keeps me in check with her 'pop quizzes' whenever she can before she went to college. All that learning really gave me an understanding of the body as well as how certain technology works. Plus, who would thought math can be kind of fun?"

Dani giggled. "Nerd."

"Says you!" Danny chuckled and gave her a soft playful push. "You're the one that's studying biological sciences like no tomorrow!"

Dani laughed. "Touche. I guess it's just the clone in me that makes me want to learn this type of stuff. But you have kind of taught me the basics on it, so I'll cut you some slack."

"That I have." Danny smiled. "Heh, who would've thought I had the brain capacity to learn all of that I've learned?"

Dani smiled back. "Either way, you're totally gonna get this job. You've really matured and are really responsible. Plus, they need someone young! They would be crazy not to hire you!"

Danny glanced at his clone cousin and gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Dani. That boosted my confidence up a little bit."

"No problem, Danny! You got this!" Dani gave him a thumbs up and a reassuring smile.

They drove through the winding mountain roads in content silence. They'll be arriving at their destination soon, where Danny will return to the place that held many great memories. He'll finally be back to there after so many years...

He can't wait...

* * *

They were here.

"Whoa...this place really _is _nice," Dani commented with wide eyes as she stood in front of the building.

"Is it also swanky?" Danny teased next to her.

Dani snapped out of her daze and gave Danny a smirk. "Well, I haven't really been inside yet, but so far, it's really nice-looking on the outside."

"Trust me, when you get inside, you'll fall in love with it," Danny assured with a smile.

Dani shrugged with a smile. "I'll take your word for it."

And with that, they walked up the stairs to the front porch of the building...

The Overlook Hotel.

As soon as they entered the hotel, Danny looked around the lobby.

_'Wow...it still looks the same.' _Danny thought, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting up as he let the nostalgia get to him.

"Wow..." Dani's mouth opened a bit, her eyes widened a bit as she looked around the lobby as well. "...You're right, Danny. It really has a great charm to it." she smiled.

Danny smirked. "Told ya."

Soon Danny went over to the receptionist desk, and Dani, upon realizing her cousin is walking to the desk, snapped out of her daze once more and followed him. Danny saw that it was a different lady behind the desk this time, a younger woman in her thirties.

The lady smiled at Danny, "Hello! Welcome to the Overlook Hotel! Will you be staying here today?"

Danny shook his head. "No, Miss, sorry to say. But I am here for an interview for the winter caretaker job."

"Oh! Then you must be-" she turned her attention away from Danny and then opened a notebook. She looked through it, trying to find the name. "Let's see...at 2:30 PM. Danny Fenton?"

He nodded. "Yes, Miss."

"Oh, wonderful! Mr. Ullman and will see you in a moment!" the receptionist turned her attention at Dani with a curious look. "Are you his...sister?"

Dani chuckled. "Nope. Cousin."

"Really?" the receptionist blinked. "Wow, you both look like you could be twins."

"Heh, yeah, we get that a lot." Danny smiled sheepishly.

"The mystery of genetics," Dani said with a simple smile and shrug.

The lady blinked again, but just smiled as well and giggled. "Well, alright then. As I said, I'll call Mr. Ullman here in just a second. You can both wait in the lobby in the meantime."

"Thank you." Danny smiled back. He and Dani went over to the sitting areas in the lobby and sat on the plush leather chairs.

As they wait, Danny asked Dani, "So, what do you think of this place so far?"

Dani directed a smile at her cousin. "I have to say, it has a very nice classy feel to it. It makes me feel like I'm in a very old sophisticated lodge."

"Yeah, right? I just feel like this place has so much..._character._ Like if these walls can speak, it would sound just like an old grandpa telling us the good old days or something."

Dani snickered, "Wow, _that's_ a good analogy there, Danny."

Danny shrugged. "Hey, it was made in 1909, it's pretty old."

"Hm." Dani then pondered on something. "...Does this place happen to have ghosts by any chance?"

"From my time when I was five, I don't think so." Danny sat there though looking thoughtful. "Hmm...although-"

"Danny? Is that you?" said an old familiar voice.

Danny looked back in his seat and saw someone walking through...someone that he hasn't seen for nineteen years. The halfa young man got up from his seat and grinned at the newcomer.

"Mr. Hallorann! Hey!"

A dark-skinned man in his sixties stood in one of the entryways to the hallway and lobby, staring at the young man in...confusion. Like he's trying to figure something out...

But Danny hadn't noticed this as he went over to the man known as Mr. Hallorann, a happy grin still on his face. "Hey, how are ya?"

Seeing that the young man was walking up to him, Richard Dick Hallorann shook his head slightly, snapping out whatever daze he was in and grinned widely and sincerely as well. "Well, Danny! I'll be, it's really you! It's been too long!" the man known as Mr. Hallorann said with a grin as well. Even though he looked a little older, he was still wearing the same chef's attire that Danny saw him in when he was five. His beard was graying a bit, and his head was still bald, but he still carried an air of warmth around him as usual when he came into the scene.

They approached each other as they both gave each other a handshake hug, laughing a short bit when doing so. As soon as they pulled away from their hug, Dani was up from her chair and approached the two happy men's reunion.

"How've ya been, Danny!?" asked an ecstatic Mr. Hallorann. "My goodness, you've grown! You were just a little guy last time I saw you!"

Danny chuckled as he said, "I've been doing pretty well! I'm guessing you heard from either your manager, Bill, or your other co-workers about me taking this caretaker job?"

"That I have! When Bill told me that a _Danny Fenton _was gonna be interviewed for the winter caretaker job, I couldn't believe it! I had to make sure to stop everything and to meet ya out here when ya came over!"

"Heh, well, it's really great to see you again, Dick! I see you're still the cook here?" Danny smiled.

Dick chuckled, "Yep! I'm still cookin' and creatin' recipes!" he turned his head to Dani when he noticed her. His expression then turned surprised and confused once more. "Oh..." Blinking and slightly shaking his head to rid the emotions away from his face, his expression morphed back into a kind smile. "Well, who's this little lady right here?"

Dani seemed to notice this but smiled kindly either way. "The name's Dani! Short for Danielle. I'm Danny's little cousin. I'm just here for support and to see what this hotel is all about."

"Oh, heh-heh, well, how do you do then, Dani? And welcome to the hotel! I hope you both had a great drive over here."

Dani smile wet a little wider. "Oh yes, the drive was amazing! Who knew that a hotel like this can be set in the middle of the Rockies?"

"Heh, well, the original builder and owner back in 1909 certainly had a vision!" Dick commented. "It was pretty much the first lodging establishment in the Rocky Mountains!"

"That's right! And it was opened and operated by my great-great-grandfather, Robert Townley Watson." said another familiar voice who walked up to them in the lobby.

"Bill!" Danny grinned at the older, portly, and balding grayed haired man. He was in his sixties and was wearing overalls and a white shirt along with some boots, and had a big smile on his face.

"Little Danny!" laughed Bill as they shook hands and gave each other big hugs. "Well, not so little anymore! How are ya!?"

"Doing great, Bill! Hope you've been keeping yourself out of trouble." joked Danny.

Bill guffawed, "Of course I had! Stayin' out of trouble and whatnot! Hey, how is your Dad these days?"

"Oh, he and my Mom are still...you know, doing the paranormal stuff," Danny said a little sheepishly, scratching the side of his face.

"Heh-heh! Your folks never let any of that ghost stuff go, huh?" chuckled Bill.

"Hey, if you ever lived where we lived, you'll see that ghosts are kind of a natural thing in our hometown," Dani told the older man.

Bill looked at the younger girl, "Oh! Well, who's this little lady?"

"This is my cousin, Danielle," answered Danny. "Or Dani for short. She's, uh, my other uncle's daughter."

Dick blinked, looking perplexed about something.

"Ah, well, howdy there, little lady!" Bill greeted her. "You certainly have the Fenton genes in ya! What with the dark hair and whatnot!"

"Heh, thanks." Dani smiled.

"Mr. Daniel Fenton?" said a refined male's voice.

All four turned their attention to a man in his fifties wearing a suit, his hair slick as he stood stiffly. There was another man with him, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, his hair a little short and is in his thirties. He looked like he's preparing to leave, as he was carrying roll-on luggage as well as a duffle bag around his shoulder.

"Um, yes sir? Mister, uh...Ullman? And are you the current caretaker?" Danny asked.

"Yep, I sure am." the man said with a smile, reaching his hand out to him. "Name's Jack Torrence."

"Ah, my father's name is Jack." Danny smiled as well while shaking his hand.

"Heh, and I take it your name is Danny? Funny, my son is also named Danny."

"Huh. Small world!" Danny joked.

"Hm. Yes indeed." Mr. Ullman said simply as he shook Danny's hand as well. "It's nice to see you made it, Mr. Fenton. Mr. Torrence here was just about to leave."

Jack chuckled. "Well, before I go, let me tell you something if you do get this job: There's a lot of maintenance here, so you got to listen to what ol' Bill here says on how to keep it all in good shape. Other than that, hope you get the job! I've heard you stayed here before also! Really nice place, isn't it?"

Danny chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm really glad to be back here."

"Heh, well, I need to head on out. It was nice meeting you, Danny." As soon as Jack said his goodbyes to everyone else, he exited out of the hotel.

"Well then, we should probably head to my office." Mr. Ullman advised. "If you will follow me, Mr. Fenton, we will get started on your interview."

Danny nodded. "Yes sir." He turned to Dani. "It'll probably be a while, Dani, so you can wait here or look around the hotel if you want."

Dani nodded with a smile. "No problem, Danny."

Danny smiled back and he and Mr. Ullman both walked to where his office was located.

"Well, I got to get to working on the maintenance myself," Bill says. "Since the hotel is now open for the summer, I'll be working like a dog!" He turned to Dani and Dick. "Nice meeting ya, Dani! See ya around, Dick!"

Dick chuckled. "See ya around, Bill!"

"It was nice meeting you, Bill!" Dani said with a smile and a wave.

Bill waved back at them with a smile also and went to wherever he was needed. This left Dani and Dick alone in the lobby.

Dani turned to Mr. Hallorann and asked him, "So, you know Danny?"

Dick turned to the girl next to him. "Oh, yes! Ever since he was a little tyke! He was a great kid back then, really smart too!" he chuckled, "I even played checkers with him one time!"

"Really?" Dani smiled at that. "You used to play checkers with him?"

"Yep! He was pretty good at it! I was taking my break and saw Danny sitting alone playing those handheld game consoles! Went over and and talked to him a bit, and before we know it, we were playing the game." Dick smiled as he slightly reminisced that day.

* * *

"_You used to live in Maine?" Danny asked Dick as he moved a black piece._

"_That I have!" Dick moved a red piece. "Was practicing my cooking skills there until going to a cooking school in Boston!"_

"_Wow. I would like to go to big cities like Boston. Did you ever visit New York City?"_

_Dick chuckled. "That I have, Danny! New York City is pretty big for me, though. I like small towns where the people are friendlier and have beautiful countrysides to look at. Or a nice beach. I go to Florida for vacations there at times when Winter comes."_

"_You vacation at the Wintertime?" Danny asked curiously. "But...who gets to do all the cooking?"_

_The cook chuckled again. "Well you see, Danny, the Overlook Hotel is a summer hotel, so it closes in the winter. In fact, it closes even early at the end of September, because Colorado's winters are a little longer."_

"_They are?"_

"_Mm-hmm. We get a lot of snow up here in the north, so even though when its October, we'll get snow falling here until the middle of May."_

"_Wow...that's a lot of snow." Danny murmured. "So...you get to have a long vacation when Winter comes?"_

"_That I do. And I tend to go to either Miami or the California coast to relax."_

"_Whoa, that's pretty cool..." Danny looked down in thought._

_Dick noticed the look on Danny's face and asked in concern, "What is it, Danny?"_

"_Well, you go to cool places, and I'm stuck in some boring old town," Danny muttered._

"_Boring old town? What's the name of it?"_

"_Amity Park. It's in Indiana."_

"_Hmm...well, I haven't been to Amity Park, but isn't being with family what makes it worthwhile, no matter where you're at?"_

_Danny's stance paused. "Well...yeah..."_

"_And what do you do with your family?"_

"_...Well...my Mom and Dad are always busy looking for ghosts at times, so Jazz and me play with each other a lot."_

_That made Dick blinked. "Ghosts?"_

_Danny looked up at him. "Yeah..." he looked nervous all of a sudden. "...Mr. Hallorann...do you believe in ghosts?"_

_That question certainly surprised Dick. "...Uh...well..." he looked uneasy with answering the young boy, so he decided to ask him, "Well, um, do you believe in ghosts, Danny?"_

_Danny looked down again as he frowned. "...Maybe...I don't know. I think they're real, because why would my Mom and Dad go looking for them? ...But that would mean that they _are_ real..." he looked up at the chef. "Mr. Hallorann...is the Overlook Hotel haunted?"_

* * *

"Dick?"

Dick blinked and looked down at the young woman named Dani, who was looking at him with curious eyes.

"Oh, uh...yes, Dani?"

"I was, um...wondering who always win the checker matches?"

Dick looked embarrassed for a moment as he blushed a tiny bit. "Oh, uh, Danny won all of them. Of course, there were times I let him win. You know, get him a confidence boost. But all the other times he really did win them."

"Oh." Dani smiled as she lightly chuckled. "Heh, wow, that's cool of ya, Dick."

Dick smiled. "Aww, Danny's a good kid. He even told me he wanted to be an astronaut when he was about to leave."

Dani giggled. "Yep. Sounds like him. Did he really tried to stay in the hotel permanently one time?"

Dick chuckled. "Yep! Told him what was waiting for him back at his home!"

"Huh. Wow, I guess I have you to thank then." Dani smiled back at Mr. Hallorann.

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? For what?"

"Well, you know, for letting Danny go back to his home, so I...wouldn't be able to meet such a cool cousin."

The chef stared at her, his facial expression morphing into a look of...puzzlement.

Dani looked back at the man, confused as her eyes shifting from left and right. "Um...what? Is there something on my face?"

"...Hey, Dani, um...how about I give you a tour around the hotel property?" Dick offered.

Dani blinked. "Oh, um...well...I mean, don't you have work to do at the kitchen, or...something?"

"Oh, the other chefs will fill in for me, I trust them. They really don't need me, and to be perfectly honest, I do this all the time. I'm not the only one manning the kitchen, you know? Besides, this property is very scenic, and I thought you would like to see more of the Rocky Mountains from all different sides and views." Dick smiled. "Don't worry, it's pretty much a short tour."

"Oh..." Dani took a second to think about it, "Umm..." She then shrugged with a smirk. "Eh, why not? As long as I'm not getting you in trouble,"

Mr. Hallorann laughed softly. "Nah, don't you worry. Even if I am in trouble, I'll deal with it with Ullman."

Dani giggled. "Alrighty! Lead the way, then!"

Dick chuckled and lead Dani the one person tour around the hotel. As he was in front of Dani and as they walked through the halls, however, Dick could only frown...

There was something odd about Dani...

_'...What did she mean by being born from Danny? And if that's the case...'_

And it's not only that...there was something else wrong with her...

When he saw her form the first time, she looked...no, _felt _really...

Empty.

But the most alarming part of it all...was that Danny also felt that way as well...

_'...What happened to Danny?'_

* * *

"_Mr. Hallorann...is the Overlook Hotel haunted?"_

_Dick's eyes widened slightly at that. "...Why would you say that, Danny?"_

"_Well...it's really old...and ghosts are supposed to live in old places...and...I'm just..." he mumbled sheepishly. "I'm just wondering."_

"_...No Danny, of course there ain't any ghosts here."_

_Danny looked up with hopeful eyes. "Really?"_

_Dick smiled at the boy, although half of it looks forced. "Yeah...just cause a hotel is old, doesn't mean there are ghosts around. The only thing that's scary is...well, there's a boiler room underneath the hotel, and that place full of spiders. I never like spiders myself."_

_Danny grimaced. "Eww, spiders?"_

"_Yeah..." Dick cringed at the thought of spiders himself. "But still, this hotel ain't haunted, Danny. Don't you worry about that."_

_Danny looked thoughtful about it. "...Okay. If you say so, Dick."_

_Mr. Hallorann smiled. "Good. Now, let's get on back to our game, shall we?"_

_Danny looked at the older man with a smile as well. "Yeah!"_

_As they kept playing checkers, Dick couldn't help but think one thing..._

'...I just only hope you don't see something that you shouldn't see, Danny.'

"_YAY! I win!" cheered Danny._

_Danny got up and did a little victory dance, while Dick laughed at the spectacle. However, the older man thought of something else, his smile going down into a neutral frown._

'...Until then...I'm sorry I lied to you, Danny.'

* * *


	3. Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Danny is interviewed and learns more about the hotel by the manager, Dani gets the shock of her life from the head cook.

As soon as Danny entered Mr. Ullman's office, he could tell that the interior was quite well kept, organized, and clean. If this didn't reflect the manager's personality upon entering his study, then Danny would be surprised. From what he observed from Mr. Ullman, his stance and walk were exactly like what Bill described to him and his family all those years ago; stiff.

Danny remembered Mr. Ullman one time when the manager passed him and his family by in the lobby back then. He was having a conversation with a man who looked refined as well. He heard the man's name from Mr. Ullman, but he couldn't recall what it was.

Either way, if Danny was blunt, the manager of the Overlook Hotel was, in fact, a bit of a snob. But he wouldn't say that to his face unless he didn't want this job. He _needed _this job to pay for his extended college as well as doing this independently. So, as he kept that all to himself, Mr. Ullman went behind his desk and sat in his swivel chair, while Danny sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. There was a nameplate that was on his desk with his name "Stuart Ullman" printed on it.

_'Stuart. Right. That's his first name.' _Danny thought as he settled in his seat.

Mr. Ullman straightened his position and let his hands clasp together in front of him on his desk. On his desk was a piece of paper that must indicate the questions that he'll ask Danny.

"Now then...let us start the interview." Mr. Ullman began as he grabbed a pen from his pen holder on the desk to get started.

"Um, yes sir." Danny agreed although he winced. _'Oh no, was that too soon to say? Was he thinking I was wanting to get this over with? No, that's stupid, calm down, Danny! This is just the beginning of the interview. You got all these questions to answer, so just answer them, and move on. That's all that matte-'_

"Mr. Fenton?"

Startled a bit, Danny sat straight. "Y-Yes sir?"

Mr. Ullman raised an unimpressed brow. "I asked what state you're from."

"Oh! Uh, s-sorry! I was, um...just...loving your office! It's very well-organized!" Danny said trying to cover up his inattentiveness with a nervous smile.

"...Hmm..." the manager decided to let that slide. However, he began writing down something on the paper for a moment until looking back up at Danny. "Well, although I am glad that you appreciate tidiness, please pay attention, Mr. Fenton."

"Um, yes sir, I will." Danny slightly winced. _'Okay, no fooling around.' _He cleared his throat. "So...what state I'm from? Well, I was born in Indiana, in a town called Amity Park. It's not a big city, but it's home."

"Hm. And from what I gathered, you've attended the University of Colorado in Boulder?"

"Yes sir. It's been a great four semesters over there and I just got my master's degree. I want to extend my education to get my doctorate in astrophysics. I, um, want to be an astronaut at NASA."

Mr. Ullman's eyebrows shot upward. "I see. That's a very good goal. I wish you the best of luck on that."

Danny smiled. "Thank you."

The manager nodded and wrote down some more notes. "Now, I must ask this since this is basic procedure, but how old are you?"

"I'm 24, soon to be 25 in July."

"Alright. Have you had any health issues in the past?"

_'If by health, you mean I died once, then maybe.' _Danny thought briefly as he replied. "Um, no."

"Any mental health issues?"

"Nope, I'm pretty much sane."

"Hm...do you take any medication?"

"Surprisingly, I don't." Danny joked, but when Mr. Ullman looked at him peculiarly, he backtracked, "I-I mean, cause you know, apparently everyone has to take medication these days. ...But if you're talking about taking pain medications like aspirin or...something, then, uh...yes, I...have taken some? I guess?"

"...Your honesty is certainly most admirable." Mr. Ullman monotonously complimented as he jolted down something on the paper.

"Um...thank you?" Danny winced, unsure if he was being honest or not.

Mr. Ullman nodded. "Next question: Have you ever drunk any alcohol?"

"No sir. Haven't tasted the stuff."

"Alright. Have you ever tried drugs?

"I have absolutely not."

"Have you ever committed a felony?"

"No sir. I have a clean record."

The manager hummed as he was writing down more notes. "Are you married?"

"Um, heh, no, I, uh, I'm not. I would like to though, someday."

Mr. Ullman nodded again as he writes down stuff. "Do you have a child?"

"No sir, I don't."

"Hm. Might I ask who that young girl was that was with you?"

"Oh, that was my cousin, Danielle, or Dani as she likes to be called. She's like another sister to me." Danny smiled. "I wanted her to see this hotel since I've been here before when I was little."

"Ah." Mr. Ullman seemed to smile at that. "I hope her expectations were to her liking. We pride ourselves to make The Overlook Hotel into a fine lodging destination."

"Oh, she likes it so far, I'll tell you that much," Danny assured.

"Wonderful. Is she visiting you, or does she live near you, if I may also ask?"

"Well, she actually lives in Denver with a good friend of mine. They're roommates and attending the same college, which my cousin is getting a degree in biomedical science and my friend is getting a degree in technical engineering. We hang out all the time when we can, though."

"I see. My curiosity is piqued, but does your 'good friend' happen to be a young woman?"

"Uh, heh, well, um...yes." Danny rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "And...we did date one time, but, things were kind of hectic on her side of things, so we kind of broke it off. We stayed good friends though. Her name is Valerie, by the way. I trust her very much to take care of my cousin."

"Hm. You seem to have some close relatives and friends here in Colorado. That must be comforting to have such close contact with not only the people you know but with family as well."

"Yeah, it really is." Danny smiled. _'This interview is actually going pretty well! I may get this in the bag.'_

"And it seems brains run in your family as well. Tell me, what do your parents do? I remember Bill inviting you and your family to the Overlook all those years ago."

Danny froze. _'O-kay, now it took a drastic turn.' _"Um...well, they're...basically research biologists." '_Kind of true.'_

"Oh really? In what field?"

"Uh...in all kinds of fields, actually. They're, uh, very curious that way." _'Yeah, we'll go with that.'_

"Really? Do they like to research botany, microbiology, zoology, and many others?"

"...Yeah. P-Pretty much."

Mr. Ullman chuckled. "Well, it's always good to research different kinds of fields. I wish them all the best of luck with whatever findings they discover."

"Um, thank you. I'll tell them that." Danny said, feeling a little relieved inside. "And, uh, just an added little bonus, my older sister is in Seattle attending to get her doctorate for child psychology."

"Ah, very nice. Your family is very intellectual indeed."

Danny rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly. "Well, we're said to be a group of intellectuals, my family and I."

Chuckling again, Mr. Ullman writes down a couple of more things on the paper. "Now, I have one more question for you on this paper, Mr. Fenton, and then we can proceed to ask normal questions in this interview: Have you ever been isolated before?"

"Um...I think...maybe once?" Danny answered, thinking about the times he'd been in the Ghost Zone.

"Would you care to give me an example?"

Danny inwardly winced. "I was...lost...one time in the woods? I-I mean, does that...count?"

Mr. Ullman hummed as he wrote that down. "The reason I asked that question, is because _if_ you do get this job, you'll be staying here in the Overlook Hotel for exactly _eight months_ with no one accompanying you. Unless you're inviting someone to stay with you, that is."

"Oh, no, it's just me. And I realize that. That's, uh, kind of the reason I want the job too, not only to earn money to pay off my doctorate but to practice living in isolation, since, you know, being in space means isolation as well."

"Ah, yes, that is true." Mr. Ullman nodded, placing his pen down and clasping his hands together in front of him on his desk. "I ask you this because I want to let you know that eight months doing the same thing over and over again, as well doing tasks and chores around the property, will get a little boring after a while. And although the town of Sidewinder is only fifteen miles away from here, there will be snow that's over seven to eight feet tall, causing you to be snowed in and stranded in the Overlook if that ever happens."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me getting bored and how much snow will fall. I mean, I know what Colorado's winters are like, trust me. I actually have some tough winters back at home in Indiana. I'll just bring some books to read, play on my phone, or just write my Ph.D. application on my laptop."

"Hmm...so you would be able to manage all of the responsibilities of taking good care of the Overlook if you're chosen to do so?" Mr. Ullman asked Danny.

"Well...yeah. I mean, I think I would. I may be young, but I like to think I've learned a lot of things from my teenage years. And I like to think I'm responsible enough. Plus, it would be an honor to take care of the Overlook. This place holds some great memories for me." Danny explained.

Mr. Ullman seemed to like that answer as he smiled. "Well, the Overlook does try to bring guests a wonderful experience."

Danny smiled back. "You know, I was five at the time, but even I liked the feel and look of this place. It all feels like this place has so much...history."

The manager's smile faded a bit. "It has. ...Sometimes good, sometimes bad."

"Bad?" Danny asked with a confused frown.

"...Just to let you know, Mr. Fenton, the Overlook had somewhat of a...bumpy past throughout its years. It actually opened four times and closed down three times during the twentieth century, the fourth time being that the Overlook opened in 1991, and today is still in operation."

"Oh...wow, um...what, uh...what caused the hotel to close three times?" Danny asked in uneasy curiosity.

"Mostly the first time in 1930 was because of the Great Depression. The other time it closed down was in 1970 basically because it was...apparently having a _reputation."_

"A reputation?" Danny quirked a brow.

"Yes. Some events in the Overlook Hotel happened that weren't...well, they weren't _precisely_ pleasant, I'll just say."

"Oh...okay."

"Mm-hmm. Bill's great-great-grandfather, Robert Townley, did open it and operated it at the time, although quite frankly, even though it was the first lodging establishment in the Rockies, he was still new at the hotel scene. It struggled at times, but it gave in good revenue. That is, of course, until the Great Depression hit, and when 1930 rolled around, nobody could afford to stay at the Overlook. Not only because of the hotel's high price for staying in one room back then but because of the location, since the roads weren't exactly safe back then as well. So, Robert closed it down, and fifteen years later, during the Depression and World War Two, it was opened again right after the war ended in 1945. It was owned by a millionaire at that time by the name of Horace M. Derwent, which he renovated this hotel to make it a grand location. In some ways, he succeeded...until it got a little _too _popular."

"Oh...I see." Danny nodded, understanding the meaning behind what he said.

Mr. Ullman sighed and muttered. "Yes...so much, that the owner decided to close it down when...he basically found out about the illegal dealings that were going on in the hotel."

Danny winced. "Yikes. It was that bad, huh?"

"Indeed it was. Around 1975 though, the hotel was opened and operated once more by a group of California investors...although, that didn't really last too long. Nine years later, they put it up for sale."

"Why's that?" Danny asked curiously.

"They say it was because of financial reasons, as well as among...other things. But I feel like it was really because they didn't know how to handle the hotel industry. They weren't exactly..._hotel people _when they first started operating it from what I've heard."

"Huh..." Danny frowned as he was silent and looked thoughtful for a moment. "So...it opened again in 1991?"

The manager smiled, his spirits up, so to speak. "Yes. That was when a New York investor named Albert Shockley looked at this place around that year and decided to try to revive it back to its former glory. Now, thanks to his donations, the Overlook Hotel is still up and running to this day."

"Oh, okay. Cool..." Danny sat there as the thought, _'Hm...should I ask if this hotel is haunted again, but only to Mr. Ullman?'_

Mr. Ullman seemed to see Danny's pensive expression. Frowning, he interrupted the young man's thoughts by saying, "The reason I ask if you've ever been isolated before, Mr. Fenton, is basically because we don't want to..." he paused for a second. "...let there be a _repeat_ of what happened in 1992."

Danny blinked. "A repeat?"

Silent for a moment, Mr. Ullman took a deep breath and sighed through his nose. "...Basically, during that time when the Overlook opened its doors once more, and while the staff and I were first starting to work here, I hired a man that goes by the name of Delbert Grady. He was once the winter caretaker of the hotel."

Danny looked at Mr. Ullman in puzzlement, but soon it turned into a slight dread when he realized that the manager was telling this story for a reason, especially if this involved his winter caretaker job.

Seeing the young man's expression, Mr. Ullman could only guess that Danny now knows where this was leading. He continued, "As I said, Mr. Delbert Grady was the first caretaker here when the hotel opened back up in 1991. Mr. Shockley and I even hired him before the Overlook had its grand re-opening. When the time came for him to travel here to do the job, he stayed here in the hotel during those eight months. He did well, he basically followed the rules and kept the hotel in top shape...however...the year after that, a severe blizzard came by when he...stayed in the Overlook for another eight months in 1992."

"...I think I can see where this is going." Danny said with a grimace.

Mr. Ullman sighed, "Good, I don't have to explain it further." he looked at the young man. "To put it bluntly, he had cabin fever...and basically killed himself."

Danny frowned as he flinched. "Whoa...how...how did he die?"

"I'm...not really obliged to tell you any more than that."

"Uh...okay," Danny said, but wished he could learn more. Which made him all the more willing to ask Mr. Ullman that specific question. "Mr. Ullman, I'm just wondering here, but has this hotel ever experienced, uh...any odd _happenings_?"

Raising an eyebrow, the older man replied, "By odd happenings, you mean...?"

"Well, uh..." Danny decided to say this as sensible and logical as he can. "Well, I mean, obviously there's a lot of stuff out there in the world _and_ even in the Universe that we can't fully understand. Like, life on other planets? We're still trying to figure that mystery out! And..." he paused for a second, until he sighed and said, "Okay, look, Mr. Ullman, I kind of already asked this to one of your employers back then, him being Mr. Hallorann, and he already answered it, but...he could be saying it so I wouldn't be scared. I mean, I was young at the time, and you know how young kids are. But even then, I really enjoyed the stay, so there weren't any problems whatsoever. All in-"

"Mr. Fenton," Mr. Ullman said with droll. "If you're asking me if this hotel is haunted, then believe me, it is not."

Danny's eyes widened as he uttered. "What? Oh! Um, well, I was, uh-"

"You don't need to sugarcoat it, Mr. Fenton, some people tend to ask that question."

"They do?" Danny blinked.

"Yes. This hotel _is_ quite old, and because of some certain...incidents in the past years, it made some people a little paranoid. But mark my words, Mr. Fenton, this hotel is _not _haunted. Of course, I'm not one to believe in that type of stuff, but I must take safety precautions to make sure my guests are happy, as well as putting them at ease, so we had a ghost team to look the place over."

"Oh." Danny was pleasantly surprised upon hearing that. "Okay then. So, uh, it's not haunted? And when did this occur?"

"Around 1993 when word got out of Delbert's_...passing._ The guests were all afraid that something supernatural was inside the Overlook, so with the hotel's future at stake, Mr. Shockley called some paranormal investigators to look around the building and property. They also looked at some old archives at the town of Sidewinder to learn more about the area that the hotel was in. After one full night of searching and a whole day of looking over the records, they found nothing out of the ordinary."

"Huh...interesting," Danny said a little baffled.

"Either way, I can safely tell you that it's not haunted, so you shouldn't worry about any superstitions. The hotel just apparently had a...'bad rep' of unfortunate events, all caused by either degenerate partying, a few accidental deaths, and some poor decisions on some of the past guests' parts, such as depressed individuals that sadly took too much medication to 'ease' their pain."

"Wow..." Danny winced again. "Okay. Well, just to let you know, I don't party, I don't do drugs, I haven't committed a crime, I don't drink, I don't have a legitimate child or anything else on that list. I'm just an ordinary university post-grad student trying to get good grades and getting extra money on my own to get my doctorate."

Mr. Ullman gave somewhat of a smile. "That I can see. I must ask you though, Mr. Hallorann basically told you it wasn't haunted when you were younger, did he?"

"Oh yeah, he did. I guess he really was telling me the truth, depending on when I came to the hotel around 1996." Danny answered with a smile. "You know, Mr. Hallorann is not only an awesome cook, but he's a really cool guy. You got yourselves a keeper there."

The manager fully smiled and nodded. "Mr. Hallorann is quite charismatic, is he?" He leaned in his chair a bit, "In any case Mr. Fenton, tell me, what got you interested in astrophysics?"

Danny chuckled. "Well, basically, when I was younger, I used to love the thought of floating around in the air...well, in the airless and non-gravity vastness of space, really. But learning things about the Universe is pretty cool, too. I mean, it's always expanding, just so you know."

Chuckling, Mr. Ullman commented. "Indeed. Well, if I may ask, what is your dissertation about?"

Danny grinned. "I'm actually writing an essay about black holes..."

* * *

"And here we have the ballroom." Mr. Hallorann guided Dani to one of the two double-door entrances to a large room. Inside, the floor, like all the halls, have carpet, but it also had a large square of wooden flooring in the center of the ballroom. There were a few tall windows on each side of the wall, and an elevated stage at the back of the room for performances.

"Wow. You guys must hold some great parties here!" Dani smiled at Mr. Hallorann.

Dick chuckled. "Well, we held some pretty good charities balls here and there back then. We even have beautiful and gorgeous wedding revenues in this here ballroom! Heh, we have so many people dancing on that wooden flooring so much, that the floor is almost worn to high heaven!"

Giggling, Dani also asked. "Are you a dancer, Mr. Hallorann?"

The older man laughed. "I was kind of a dancer back in my day. I tend to know some old dancing moves now and then."

Dani laughed softly. "This has been a fun tour so far, Mr. Hallorann! And you're right, the views are spectacular from every side! Is there more to show?"

"Well, I showed you the boring old conference rooms, the bar area, the gardens, the croquet field, and the little architectural details of the place. How about I show you the restaurant where I work? I can treat you a milkshake if you want one!"

"Really?" Dani's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You're our guest here, and any friend of Danny is a friend of mine! Well, family member, but you know what I mean."

Dani smiled at that. "Well...okay. I hope I'm not getting you into too much trouble with not paying you the milkshake."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Dick waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's just one extra good and creamy milkshake that's made with tender loving care! So what kind do you want? We got plenty of flavors, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, even caramel toffee if you're feeling adventurous!"

"Wow. That's a good selection."

"There's more where that came from. We got a whole _lot _of ice cream." Dick winked.

Dani smiled widely. "You know, even though I like mint chocolate chip, I'll try that caramel toffee one!"

Mr. Hallorann chuckled. "Good choice! Follow me!"

As the older man led Dani over to where the restaurant is(at the back of the hotel), the young woman was in thought.

_'Man, Mr. Hallorann is really nice! And this place is really awesome so far too! I can see why Danny likes it here. And my ghost sense isn't going off, so that's a good sign. Maybe Danny is right. Maybe this place isn't haunted after all.'_

Dick gradually paused for just a second, making Dani stopped when she realized that he slowed down a bit. He then kept on walking. Dani blinked at the sudden pause, but she kept going either way as she followed Mr. Hallorann to the restaurant.

* * *

"Here ya go! Fresh caramel toffee milkshake on the house! Enjoy, little lady!" Mr. Hallorann said to Dani with a smile as he gave her the milkshake with a straw in it. She was sitting at a two-chaired window table in the restaurant and Dick was sitting across from her once he gave the treat to her.

"Wow...I can practically _smell_ the caramel and the toffee in there." Dani's eyes widened at the scrumptious drink confection.

Chuckling, Dick said, "Just don't tell Danny I did this. I don't want him to be jealous."

Dani smirked. "I won't even tell a soul."

Mr. Hallorann smiled at that, although he almost looked bothered by the comment. Dani hadn't noticed his expression and began to drink the milkshake. Once she sipped some, she hummed in delight. "Wow! Very nice! It really has that taste of caramel along with little toffee bits inside!"

Smiling widely, Dick said, "Heh, yep, it's kind of a favorite of mine as well! If I would go for the sugary kind, I would choose that one, while my 'healthier' choice would be the strawberry milkshake."

Giggling, Dani commented, "Hey, you got to live a little, right?"

Mr. Hallorann's smile faded just a bit after she said that, looking at Dani in what almost what seemed like concern.

Dani was sipping her milkshake until she noticed the older man's look. She stopped drinking her shake as she looked at him puzzled. "Mr. Hallorann? Is...something wrong?"

"...Um, Dani, can I ask you something?" Dick asked her.

The young woman blinked. "Uh...sure."

"...Is Danny okay?"

Dani blinked again. "Um...yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Well...did anything happened to him...back then?"

The halfa ghost girl clone's eyes widened. "What...do you mean?"

"Oh, um, anything really..." Dick's words died there.

"Oh...well...he, um...well, he was a teenager once. And he, uh...experienced heartbreak. Two times actually. One time he was in a relationship with a girl, but they...sadly kind of broke up for reasons. And the other breakup was around the time he was 18 in his senior year-"

"Dani."

The girl, startled, looked up at Mr. Hallorann.

There were customers in the restaurant, but most of them were leaving since lunch hour was ending. Some people close to them were getting up from their tables, making only a couple of other people still sitting at their tables from far away. Dick and Dani both sat there alone at their table, with the former staring at the latter.

Dani froze, feeling somewhat alert from the older man's gaze.

Mr. Hallorann seemed to look intently at her...until he said, "Something happened to Danny...I can-" he chose his next words carefully. "...I can _feel_ it."

"...What...makes you say that?"

Dick looked down at the white tablecloth covering the table. "...He doesn't...feel like himself."

Dani stared at Mr. Hallorann, an uneasiness settling in her stomach.

The dark-skinned man looked up at the younger girl. "_..._Dani...I want you to be honest with me now. ...Has anything..._bad _happened to Danny while he was growing up?"

Breath hitching in her throat, Dani just sat there frozen.

_'Uh...okay. This is kind of weird. What is Dick trying to say? I mean, h-he can't be implying...no, he can't. That's crazy! He would have to be psychic to know what's...happening? ...He...He did say he felt something...what could that...what could that mean?' _Dani thought in slight fright.

"Dani. It's okay. I'm not trying to scare you." Mr. Hallorann reassured her. "...Although...I feel like something bad happened to you too, am I right?"

Dani's eyes widened. "What?"

"You and Danny felt...really..._empty_ when you both came in. Not in an emotional way, but...in a physical way. Like...you don't really have a body...but you have one at the same time. And yet, I _sensed_ you two coming in as I was heading my way back into the kitchen." Dick tried to explain.

Now in absolute shock, Dani still sat there in her seat as she gazed at Mr. Hallorann, anxiety written on her face. "I..." she took a glance at the milkshake for a moment.

_'Did he spiked this milkshake or something?'_

"I didn't, Dani."

Dani abruptly looked back at the cook, eyes widened even more than they are now. "W-What?"

Dick kept a neutral facade, his face not showing any emotion. "I didn't put anything in the milkshake."

She sat there speechless, a fearful shock running all across her facial features, with her mouth partly opened.

Mr. Hallorann sighed, "Dani-"

"I-I have to go," Dani said as she tried to get up.

"Dani, wait a minute, I just want to know what happened to you and Danny," Dick told her quickly.

Luckily, Dani didn't run out of the restaurant in a rush as she stopped midway from getting up. But it didn't ease her worries when she looked at him, her scared eyes showing fear...afraid that she'd been found out.

"Look, I don't mean any harm. I just want to know what happened to you two. You both...you both didn't feel _natural _whenever I saw y'all." The cook explained.

Dani looked at his face, trying to see if she can read any deceit in Mr. Hallorann's eyes. From what she could see, his eyes looked...pleading, calm, but...mostly concerned. She tried to look harder to see if she can break any barrier that he was holding...but he didn't weaken his gaze one bit.

_'Either he's really worried or he's a really good actor.' _Dani thought as she firmly stared at him.

Dick's frown deepened. "Dani, I'm being serious. I just want to know."

Blinking at the remark, Dani shook her head. "H-How are you doing that!?" she asked in irritation.

Sighing, Mr. Hallorann says, "Look, how about this: I'll tell you what I have, and you tell me what you and Danny have. Deal?"

Dani looked at him cautiously, never keeping her guard down. "...Okay." She sat back down in her seat, her eyes focused on the man in front of her.

Seeing that she's cooperating, Dick nodded. He takes a breath deep and lets out a sigh. "...Now, I never told anyone around here what I have, not even my closest friends. The only person I have ever told and can relate to on this is my grandma. _She _had it too."

Dani's eyes softened as her body relaxed a tad.

"Before I tell you what this is, I ask of you to not tell anyone of what I have," advised Mr. Hallorann.

"...What about Danny?" asked Dani.

The head cook seems to pause at that. "...I feel like Danny doesn't need to know yet...until I know who and _what _you are, Dani."

Eyes wide again, Dani sat still in her seat.

"But I said I'll tell you what I have first. So...I will..." Dick looked around the area they're in and saw that nobody was around or near their table. The waiters and waitresses are all probably chatting away with the other cooks at this point. He turned back to Dani and kept his voice low. "I have a gift, Dani. And so did my grandma..."

Dani kept staring at him, uneasy anticipation setting in her stomach.

After the pause, it was then Mr. Hallorann said, "My grandmother called it 'the Shining'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! I hope this is interesting to you all! :) Please do tell me what you think in either a comment, or give me a kudos, or a bookmark! LOL, I still don't know how this site works. X)


	4. The Shining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Hallorann explains his gift to Dani as well as the things that happen here in the Overlook Hotel. Meanwhile, Danny catches up with the cook.

"The Shining?" Dani repeated Dick's words in interest.

Mr. Hallorann nodded. "It's basically a psychic ability."

Dani blinked. "Oh...so...that _does _make you a psychic." She looked down at the white-clothed table to reflect on that. "Huh..." she then looked up, "Wait, so, you know I was half-ghost? Like, you sensed my ghostly aura?"

Now Dick blinked. "Half-ghost? Is that possible?"

The girl rubbed the back of her head. "Well...it does sound kind of weird...so...I guess I'm half-dead?"

Mr. Hallorann's eyes widened at the notion

"Oh, I mean, I'm not _really _dead!" Dani backtracked with a nervous chuckle. "I just...well, the molecules, they kind of...rearranged and..." she paused for a moment to think how to even describe this. "...It's sciencey stuff, really."

"Hey, I'll take your word for it." Dick raised his hands to indicate that she doesn't have to say anymore. "But...you're not technically dead, are you?"

That wasn't a curious question. It was more factual than it sounds...

Dani looked nervous for a second. "...Okay, if you like...read my mind and are piecing things together on who and_ what_ I am...I'll just say right now that...it's complicated." she muttered the last part.

"...You're a clone?" Mr. Hallorann asked in shock.

"...Wow. You _can_ read minds." Dani mumbled as she looked at the white-clothed table again.

Dick frowned. "You..don't have to tell me...or even _think _about it if it's a touchy subject."

"I...well, I _think_ it's best if I don't tell you everything." Dani muttered, "It...well, it just opens old wounds, you know?"

Mr. Hallorann nodded solemnly. "I see...but...are you...really a clone of _Danny?"_

"...Kind of. I think-" Dani paused as she thought of _him_. "...I think my _creator_ had some DNA of Danny's mom, I think. The only thing that makes me a part of Danny, is that I kind of have his facial features, eyes, and black hair."

"Hmm..." Dick stared at her a moment. "..." He raised a brow. "Fruitloop?"

Dani looked back up with a blink. "Oh!" she realized why he said that. "Oh, yeah, Danny and I, we...call this person a fruitloop...wait..." she looked at the cook suspiciously, "Do you happen to search the mind, or do you just hear thoughts?"

Dick gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I just hear the thoughts. What I have isn't really too advanced. I can also see you're trying to put up a mental block on things you don't want me to know."

The halfa clone girl looked sheepish. "Yeah...no offense, I just..." she frowned at her pause and shook her head. "So, uh, you call your psychic ability the 'Shining'?"

Knowing that she was trying to avoid thinking too much, Dick answered with a smile, "Yep."

"Huh. Okay, two questions: Upon reading minds, does that mean you can see ghosts as well? And why do you call it the Shining?"

"Well, to answer your first question...I do. Somewhat." Mr. Hallorann looked a little slightly uneasy when saying that.

"So, that basically explains how you said that you _sensed _something wrong with me and Danny, right?"

"Mm-hmm," Dick answered with a nod.

"Okay. And...why did you say 'somewhat'?"

"...I'll tell you that later." Mr. Hallorann answered, feeling almost uncomfortable upon saying anything more about it. "As for your second question...well, actually, my grandmother was the one who called it that. She named it the Shining because she can see people who 'shine'. Like, she, and as well as me, could see a 'shining' aura around a living person...among other things, too."

"Oh...so...people who have this ability can see who 'shines' and who doesn't?"

Dick smiled as he nodded. "Yeah."

"Wow...when did you have this 'Shining'?"

"Hmm...I think it was when I was either three or four...I don't remember what age, but I remembered that my grandmother and I started to communicate with other through our minds when I was really little. We used to have conversations without even opening our mouths for hours." Mr. Hallorann smiled as he glanced down at the table, likely reminiscing his grandmother.

Dani smiled as well, feeling a little comforted to know that Mr. Hallorann wasn't really hostile at all. "You must really love your grandmother, huh?"

The cook looked up at Dani with a sweet smile, "I did. Not only did she taught me a lot of things, but she taught me how to use my 'Shining'. Like how to control whose thoughts I'm listening to, and how to control its frequency."

"How to control its frequency?"

"Mm-hmm. For other people who have 'Shining', if they can think as hard as they can with a lot of frequency to another 'Shining' user...well...they would give themselves a pretty bad headache, I'll just say. But that's only for the stronger users."

"Huh...okay. Interesting." Dani mused about that for a bit until she asked, "So, you said you can see ghosts too, right?"

Mr. Hallorann nodded. "That I can."

"Like even when they go intangible?"

Dick raised a brow. "Well...I would think so. I mean, that's what a ghost is, right? They're basically lost souls who never departed from the living world...although, you're, um...a half-ghost, so..." He scratched his bald head in confusion. "Um...how does that work again?"

"Like I said, it's sciencey stuff..." Dani pondered at that for a moment, "...although...I guess in simpler terms, being a half-ghost means that the living cells in the body are more advanced, since dead cells can't function, so...wait..." she shook her head, "There is actual science in all of this, there really is! Um...let's see, if..." Dani's eyes then widened as she stopped her train of thought. She looked up at Mr. Hallorann, who gave her a stunned expression.

"...You didn't hear that!" Dani said suddenly and quickly.

"...Danny...died?" Dick asked in quiet shock.

"No, no, he's alive! ...Kind of...again, sciencey stuff!" Dani reminded him in a slight panic.

"Wait, wait...so...from what I've gathered in your mind...Danny turned on a machine, and...it fried him, killing him?" asked Mr. Hallorann, dreading the answer.

"..." Dani sighed, "...Yeah...but, the machine also saved him! He was brought back to life cause...well, this Ghost Portal that his parents were working on had like ectoplasm, which it was fused into his DNA! It was like a jumpstart to his heart, like those AEDs you see in the hospitals. It basically gave him a second life! ...And...it also gave him ghost powers," she mumbled that last part.

Dick blinked. "...So...Danny...is a superhero?"

Dani gave the cook a slight smile. "Well...yeah, basically."

Mr. Hallorann looked at the girl in front of him for a second until he smiled. He then chuckled, "Wow...Danny is a superhero. That's..." he chuckled some more, "That's pretty cool."

Smiling fully, Dani added, "He also fought some pretty tough enemies, most of them ghosts. Our hometown is like, famous for them."

"Heh, well then, I have to say, it looks like Danny is doing quite alright with himself!" Dick said with a happy smile. Although, his smile faded away once he said, "Still...fourteen, huh?"

Dani's smile went down. "Yeah...he...never really had a regular teenage life. It's just fighting ghosts all the time for him...and the occasional human fighter." She looked down as she thought about that for a moment. "...But he wouldn't trade it, really. He'd gone through a lot of stuff, let it be life or trials. He even gained great friends and allies out of it..." She looked up at the cook and softly smiled, "I mean, the guy certainly went above and beyond expectations to get his grades up and to get into a good program thanks to his friends and allies helping him out. Heck, even his parents are helping him. Which by the way, they totally support what he is and what he is doing. I mean, that's saying something since they're ghost hunters themselves."

Dick blinked at that but smiled either way. "Well, I'm glad that they do. They seem like great parents from when I met them."

Giggling, Dani said, "Yeah, he certainly does. They even took me in when Danny told them what I really was." she smiled fondly at that. "...I felt like I really had parents that day..._real _parents." Dani sat there for a moment as she reminisced slightly about Jack and Maddie. She then continued, "Now he's doing what he wants to do with his life...and I'm happy for him. We all are. But really, he won't give up on the ghost fighting. Whenever someone needs help, whether it be ghost or anything crime related, he'll be there."

Mr. Hallorann smiled warmly at that. He chuckled slightly, "To think, Little Danny grew up to be a superhero. I always think about the kid, how he's faring." His smile turned a little sly. "So, I heard he had lady friends at one time?"

Dani chortled, "Well, he dated a girl-turned ally who didn't know about his ghost alter-ego at the time. Like I said before, she had a lot of stuff going on with her life and she had to call it off. Her name is Valerie Gray. She hunts ghosts too, by the way, which means...well, it's kind of a long story, and I think Danny should tell you this instead of me." she said a little sheepishly.

The cook nodded understandingly. "I get it. That's perfectly fine."

"Heh, yeah...anyway, later along the road, he did date one of his friends at a time, this girl named Sam Manson. Or 'Samantha', but don't tell her I said that. But yeah, he dated her for a while, but things were going really rough with him as the ghost battles keep coming. Plus, his grades were starting to come up at that time, so he couldn't juggle battling ghosts, studying, and have a relationship at the same time. So...with a little bit of hesitation, he decided to break it off with Sam."

"Hmm...how did she take it?"

"Thankfully enough...she understood. She was focusing on her studies to become a lawyer someday, and she could kind of see that they were drifting apart romantically. So...they both broke it off eventually. They stayed great friends, though. And right now, she's in Harvard, so she's doing really well with herself."

Dick smiled at that. "It's good to know that Danny and this Sam gal are still in good terms."

"Hm, yeah..." she looked down as she thought of something...until she looked up at Mr. Hallorann in surprise. "Oh! Um...heh, sorry. I can't get used to that."

Chuckling, Dick said, "Oh, it's no problem! But...something about Valerie?"

"Oh, well," Dani shrugged as she smiled, "I just was thinking that...maybe Danny could give Valerie another shot."

"Ah, I see. And from what I've gathered, you sound like you see Valerie a lot?"

"Heh, yep. In fact, we're roommates in Denver! We go to the same college and everything. We're kind of like sisters, almost."

"Aw, well, that's convenient." Mr. Hallorann smiled at that. "Does Danny see Valerie often?"

"Oh yeah, we hang out a bunch of times when we're not studying and whatnot. We even have a movie night tonight back at our place! They see each other pretty often."

"Hmm. How is their relationship, if I may ask?"

"Oh, it's really nice, actually. They joke, they tease, they like to hang around with each other. They're pretty much good friends. Although let me tell ya, I feel like there's tension between them at times."

"Oh?"

Dani giggled. "Yeah. Valerie certainly is beautiful, while Danny, as you can see, looks quite rugged and handsome. I often see them take peeks at each other when they aren't looking, more so from Danny. I tease him about it once and he denied it. Pfft, I think he still has harbored feelings for her, as well as Valerie for Danny. I mean, they haven't broken up on bad terms last I heard."

"Hmm. And you're thinking of hooking them up?" Mr. Hallorann said with a smirk.

"Well...yeah, I'm thinking of doing that." Dani shrugged with a sly smirk. She fished out her phone in her pocket, went to her photo app, and showed a picture of her, Danny, and Valerie in a group photo to the cook. "This here is Valerie."

"Oh! Well, she's African-American! Heh, wow, didn't know Danny had a preference. She's also really pretty!" Dick grinned slightly.

"Heh, nah, Danny's cool like that. To be honest, he's kind of a shy and gawky guy. He can't get past saying a word to a pretty girl. Of course, that was him in his teenage years. Now he can't get past a sentence to talk to attractive women."

Dick and Dani laughed at that joke. The former ease his laughter and smiled, while the latter eased hers into giggles. Once she was done, she looked up at him with a smile. "You know...Danny's right. You are a pretty cool dude."

Mr. Hallorann chuckled. "Why thank you. I'm glad Danny thinks really highly of me. I mean, granted, I haven't told him I can read minds, but...I'm glad to hear that."

Dani's smile grew warm at the older man. She then remembered the milkshake in front of her. "Oh, yeah. Heh, haven't really finished my milkshake here. It's really good, I can tell you that!"

"Heh-heh, well, I'm glad it's to your liking!" Dick smiled at her.

"It certainly is!" she complimented. She then began to sip on it, savoring the taste of the rich and creamy confection.

As she enjoyed the shake, Mr. Hallorann looked at her, his expression blank.

"...I feel like I have to tell you something."

Dani paused her sips. "Huh?"

Mr. Hallorann stared at her for a moment, until he said, "About this hotel...it's...well..." he looked down, feeling conflicted to reveal this. "..." He looked back up at her. "This hotel is...actually 'kind of' haunted."

She blinked, "Oh..." Dani then quirked a brow. "Wait...what do you mean by 'kind of'?"

"Well...with me being here, it...well, this hotel...projects things of the past. Like events and...souls of people who were once alive here."

Dani looked confused.

"What I mean is...when I'm here, there are also ghosts here in the Overlook Hotel that relive those events that use to happen here. Events...that aren't really at times all that good."

The young clone woman gazed at the head cook in puzzlement. "Wait...so...what you're saying is that this hotel _is_...haunted, but it...only shows events of what happened here when _you're_ here?"

Dick nodded. "Yes. And when _I'm_ here, they...well, the events come out like pictures in a book. They won't hurt you, they just play out what transpired here those many years ago. It just..._forms _those events into place."

She sat there absorbing that information. Dani's eyes looked down as she mused at what the cook had told her. "...Danny..." she looked up at him, "doesn't have what you have though."

"I know. But...this place still leaves traces of the past here behind, even when I'm away from the hotel. There are still _whispers _in this building...whispers of guests who stayed at the Overlook. My work schedule here is only until lunch and dinner, and I leave around nine in the evening, so I don't affect the hotel too much at night...however, I hear from the guests' thoughts that they _hear_ things in these halls."

"...What kind of things?"

"Oh, just regular sounds. You know, like running, knocking on doors, and voices coming out of nowhere...they may even hear tiny bits of these events that happened here in the hotel."

"...So...you're saying that...if Danny was to get this job...he would...hear activity going on around here?"

"...In a way. I was gonna tell Danny all of this if he were to stay here and actually get this job. I'm telling you this, because...well, you know...you're half-ghost."

"Huh..." Dani stayed silent for a moment, until she said, "Then...nothing really bad is in here, right?"

"Oh no, of course not. Like I said, they're like pictures in a book. They can't harm ya. I just...want to let Danny know this in case he was gonna ask me about the Overlook being haunted again."

"Again?" Dani asked with a questionable blink.

"Oh yeah, he asked me if the Overlook was haunted when he was little. I, uh...told him 'no'. I didn't want him to be scared during his visit here."

"Oh, well...I can understand that." Dani nodded in agreement. "But...if Danny does get this job, you'll like...tell him what you told me about the hotel, right?"

"Oh, of course! ...However, I don't know if I should tell him that I know he's...wait, what's his superhero name?"

Dani smiled a little sheepishly. "Well, he used to go by Danny Phantom."

Dick blinked at the name. "Danny...Phantom?"

She shrugged, "It sounded original to him at the time. It's a miracle no one found out who he was because of the name. As time went by, though, he decided to just call himself Phantom, since that sounded a little more mysterious...which to be honest, Danny Phantom is not technically a bad name, because no one would think Danny was..._dead _per se, but ever since some of his friends and family know who he is, he decided to change the name to 'Phantom'."

"Oh, I see." Dick nodded understandingly. "Well, either way, I don't think I need to tell him that I know that he's Phantom. At least, not yet. I don't want him to feel like I was trying to invade his privacy or anything. Which I wasn't!" he said in defensively.

Dani chuckled, "Hey, no worries. You couldn't help it. I didn't even know psychics exist until now."

Mr. Hallorann chuckled as well. "That's good to hear from someone's actual mouth. ...But seriously, I just feel like Danny wouldn't be too comfortable with me knowing his secret right off the bat."

"Hmm...yeah, he is kind of leery when it comes to people actually knowing his superhero identity. Even though I think he really does think highly of you, I can see him getting kind of paranoid. Especially if he knows that they're actually psychics that can read minds out there...I mean, _are _there other people out there who have this ability?" Dani wondered.

"Well...I would think there would be more. But that's a one in a ten-thousand chance, so it would be pretty rare."

"Huh...well, I do agree either way...but, maybe you can tell him someday in the future?" Dani asked him.

"...How about...maybe when or if he gets this job, I'll tell Danny that I know his superhero identity, as well as my secret after he's done with the caretaker job." Dick told her.

"...Well...what if he doesn't get the job?"

Mr. Hallorann went silent for a moment to think on that.

"I mean, I'm not doubting him, but...you never know," Dani added, her face showing some apprehensive upon mentioning that.

Dick still remained silent...until he said, "I know Danny does have a right to know...but...I just don't feel like now is the right time."

Dani was quiet for a moment as well, until she said, "Well...okay then. I mean, I totally get it, I just...well, you know, some things can eat away at you if you keep it for too long."

Mr. Hallorann nodded at that. "Yeah...that is true."

They were both silent, lost in their thoughts...

"...I will tell him someday, Dani. You don't need to worry about that." Dick said with a smile.

Dani smiled back at him. "You read my mind, didn't you?"

Dick chuckled. "Maybe."

Dani rolled her eyes with the same smile in place. "Seriously though, thanks for telling me about your secret and for reassuring me. You're one cool and interesting dude, Mr. Hallorann."

The cook's smile turned warm. "Same to you, little lady."

The halfa clone girl chuckled as well. "Well, aren't you the charmer?"

They both laughed softly, and afterward, they talked about other things, such as her and Danny's hometown, his friends, and how his family is doing, all the while Dani sipping and finishing her milkshake.

"Woo! Talk about a sugar rush!" Dani said in delight as she took in her last sip.

Dick laughed, "Glad you liked it!"

"Dani?"

They turned their heads at the voice, seeing that Danny was inside the restaurant and coming up towards their table.

"Dick?" Danny said with a raised brow.

"Hey, Danny!" Dani gave him a wave and a smile.

"Danny-Boy! How was the interview?" Dick asked with a kind smile also.

Blinking at the two's apparent acquaintance with each other, he answered, "Uh...it went really well. I can, um, see you guys are getting along pretty fine...wait, is that a milkshake, Dani?"

Dani rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Yes. You want one?"

"I can make one to-go!" Mr. Hallorann offered him.

"Oh...uh, what kind is it?" Danny asked.

"Caramel toffee!" Dani answered with a smile.

"Oh...huh. That actually does sounds pretty good." Danny smiled. "By the way, Dani, have you been here the whole time talking with Mr. Hallorann? I've been trying to text ya, but I couldn't find ya anywhere until now. My interview was over ten minutes ago."

"It was?" Dani then checked her cellphone as she got it out of her pocket to see a text from Danny ten minutes ago. "Oh! Sorry Danny! Dick and I were just chatting away here about stuff."

"I gave her a little tour around the hotel, treated her a milkshake, and we started talking about you!" Dick told him.

"Ah. I hope it was good things." joked Danny as he gave a smirk to Dani.

"Don't worry, they were." Dani returned the smirk.

Dick chuckled, "So, you said it went really well?"

"Oh yeah! Mr. Ullman was really interested in my field of study and I told him some things about it. That's what kind of took me so long. Sorry, Dani." said Danny a little sheepishly.

"Hey, no problem! Like I said, we were just chatting." Dani assured him.

"Yeah! And hey, you actually gained Stuart's attention on something! He's not an easy person to 'wow', you know?" Dick told him with a grin.

"Heh, apparently," Danny smiled. "I think I made a good impression on myself with him. He seemed genuinely interested in what I have to say."

"I bet you nailed it, Danny!" Dani reassured him as she got up from her seat.

"I think so too!" Mr. Hallorann got up from his seat as well. "And you were the second person out of the three people that Mr. Ullman had to see! After that, he'll review each one of y'all to be caretaker! I really hope it'll be you, Danny. Mr. Ullman would be crazy not to choose someone young like you."

Danny blushed a bit. "Come on, guys, you're giving me too much credit here."

"Pfft! You deserve that credit!" Dani said encouragingly.

"Absolutely!" Dick agreed. "In fact, how about I make you a congratulating milkshake? Anybody impressing Mr. Ullman would definitely deserve one! I would say the caramel toffee one is our best, but if you like a different flavor, then we got plenty of others!"

Danny smiled at his supporters, first at Dani and then at Dick as he asked him, "Can I mix up certain flavors on that milkshake?"

* * *

After Mr. Hallorann mixed two flavored(them being chocolate and mint chocolate-chip) into his milkshake, they talked a bit about how the interview went as well as the things Danny was talking to the manager about, all the while enjoying the treat.

"Wow, I don't really understand much about these black holes or the general relativity stuff, but man, it's amazing you can cram all that knowledge into your head, Danny!" Dick complimented the younger man.

"Tell me about it!" Dani chortled. "Danny tries super hard to understand this type of stuff even in high school!

"Hey, it took me time to understand all the information given to me." Danny shrugged, "I was just...you know, distracted most of those times."

_'Like fighting ghosts,' _Danny thought.

Dick smiled. "Like girls and whatnot?"

Danny blinked and chuckled awkwardly, "Well...yeah, I guess. I was a teenage guy back then, and you know how often teenage guys like me act."

Dani snickered while Dick chuckled also, his laughter having a somewhat knowing tone to it.

Danny smiled and paused for a moment to sip the last of his milkshake. Once he was finished, he said, "Wow. By the way, Dick, did I ever told you that you make a great milkshake?"

"Heh-heh! I think you did, Danny, like seven minutes ago. But you can keep telling me that if you want to!" Dick joked with a smile.

Chuckling at that, Danny was about to say something else, when his phone vibrated. He picked it out of his pocket and looked through who texted him.

_Hey Danny! When you guys get back from your interview, would you and Dani like to eat out before we go do movie night at our place? I want to know how you did! :D_

Danny smiled at the text. _'Val.'_

"Is that from Val?" Dani asked her cousin.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. She was asking if we would like to eat out before movie night."

"Val?" Dick asked in a seemingly innocent tone.

Dani looked at him strangely but remembered that they didn't discuss Danny's love life with Danny present.

"Oh, yeah, Valerie. She's a good friend," Danny said with a smile. "A very good friend who's looking after my Cuz here."

Dani smirked at her cousin as she said, "She's Danny's old girlfriend."

Danny turned his head to Dani frowning. "Dani, come on, we're just friends now."

"I just said that she was your _old girlfriend_, I never said anything about you two being together," Dani said with a sly grin.

Danny gave Dani a deadpan stare. Deciding not to answer that, he then turned to Mr. Hallorann and said, "Anyway, while _yes,_ we _were _boyfriend and girlfriend at that time when we were teenagers, it was...well, short-lived. We...broke up because her life was kind of hectic at that moment, so we just decided to become friends after that."

"Hmm...well, does she still have some things she has to deal with?" Dick asked.

"...Well, no, but..."

"Danny here is actually too afraid to talk to Valerie about hooking up again, because of _reasons_." Dani said with her eyes rolled.

"Dani!" Danny exclaimed and then sighed as he exasperatedly mumbled, "Seriously, why not just tell him my whole life story while you're at it?"

_'Pfft! I think I already did that thanks to Dick here.' _Dani thought sardonically, who glanced and smirked at the older man.

Dick chuckled, not only to the interaction between them, but at Dani's thought. "Well, whatever the reason may be, I think you should try dating again, Danny. Whether it be from someone else or from this Valerie gal."

Danny pursed his lips as he looked like he was considering it.

_'I mean...I would like to go back to dating...heck, maybe even ask Valerie on a date again...but I just don't want to risk another breakup if things go south or anything. Who knows what will happen in the future...unless I ask Clockwork.'_

Dick raised a brow on that last part. _'Clockwork? Hm. Need to ask Dani about that.'_

"Come on, Danny. You need a girl in your life other than your cousin here." Dani joked.

"But I have Val-" Danny paused. "...Okay, I don't know if you were trying to trick me into saying that, but we're not together like that, Dani."

Dani shrugged. "Okay, whatever."

Danny turned his attention to Mr. Hallorann, "Besides, it's more complicated than that..." he looked down at the table in front of him with a solemn frown.

Dani rolled her eyes again and looks at Mr. Hallorann. _'If you can read my thoughts right now, Dick, I know for a fact that she likes Danny back. She even told me secretly! And Danny like her as well! They're just dancing around it like they don't want to trend on thin ice with each other!'_

Dick smirked at Dani and said to Danny, "Well, I may not _know _what goes on with your life, Danny, but I'll just say that you got to at least take a shot. I'm sure any girl would be lucky to have ya."

The younger man looked up at the older man with a smile. "Thanks, Dick. I mean...maybe I could try dating again..."

_'Maybe...I can try to ask Valerie-'_

Danny's eyes widened. "Oh. Yeah, I got to reply back to her." he then texted a message back to Valerie.

_'Yeah! Sure! That's...great! I think I...did well! I'll...tell you about it...tonight! How about...around six? Smiley face.'_

Danny looked at the time on his phone, "Exactly three o'clock." he mumbled to himself. He looked up at Mr. Hallorann, "Well, I wish we can stay a little while longer, Dick, but I think we need to head on out."

"Yeah, I think it's time we jet. It was really nice talking to you though, Dick!" Dani said with a smile at the cook.

"Oh, no problem! It was really nice meeting ya, Dani! And it was nice seeing you again too, Danny-Boy!" Mr. Hallorann grinned.

"Heh, it was great seeing you too, Dick." Danny smiled warmly. "Thanks for the milkshake as well! Are you sure you don't want me to pay you?"

"Danny, don't you worry, it's on the house," Dick told him with a chuckle.

Danny chuckled a bit as well. "Okay then. Thanks again."

They got up from their seats and Danny and Dani were about to exit the restaurant when Dick called out to them. "Actually, is it okay if we exchange phone numbers, Danny? That way if you get the job, I'll be the one to tell you!"

Danny turned to Mr. Hallorann with a smile. "Yeah, sure! That sounds like a great idea!"

"Great!" Dick then fished out his cellphone out of his pocket as well as Danny and they exchanged phone numbers.

"Mind if we exchange numbers as well?" asked Dani with a smirk. "You really seem like a cool guy, and I like to keep in touch."

"Oh, sure!" Dick said with a happy chuckle.

After they both exchange cellphone numbers, both cousins said their goodbyes to Mr. Hallorann and they walked out of the restaurant.

Dick looked on at the two leaving figures with a smile on his face.

_'I'll see you around Danny and Dani...heh, kind of odd saying it like that...'_

Dick stood there though, looking down as he pondered something else.

_'...Yeah. Even if he does get this job, he'll be fine. I mean, he's practically a ghost himself! And from what I heard from Dani, he seems to fight some pretty strong villains!' _Mr. Hallorann looked up at the retreating young man who is now turning a corner and out of his view. He smiled warmly.

_'...You did good for yourself, Danny. You did real good.'_

* * *

"So...why did you want Mr. Hallorann's number?" Danny asked Dani.

Dani glanced at her cousin weirdly. "What? He _is_ a cool guy. He told some funny jokes. Plus, he gave me a free milkshake."

Danny chuckled. "Well, yeah, he is a pretty awesome guy. Sorry if I sounded cautious there, I really was just curious."

Dani shrugged with a smirk. "Eh, no big."

As soon as they exited out of the hotel's doors...

_ **Danny.** _

A small gust of cold air came out of his mouth.

"Huh?"

Danny stopped in his tracks as he turned his head to look behind him while holding the door for Dani.

He scanned the lobby with his eyes, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Danny?" Dani's voice broke through his concentration. He turned to the younger woman which she looked at him oddly. "Everything okay?"

"Uh..." Danny expressed confusion. "Wait...you didn't sense that?"

Now Dani looked confused. "Sense? What, you mean..." Trying to be subtle, she imitates the ghost sense coming out of her mouth.

"Uh, yeah..." Danny looked behind him one more time. "You...didn't also hear that?"

"Hear?" Dani looked at her cousin for a moment to see if he's messing with her.

However, she thought of something that might explain Danny's sudden alertness.

_'Oh...it must be because Dick is in the hotel right now. Danny must've sensed a ghost...but wait, why didn't my ghost sense went off?'_

Deciding to not let Danny(and herself) worry about it, she told him, "Maybe it was a false alarm?"

"But, I..." When Danny realized that he looked kind of weird holding the door when Dani was already outside, he decided to let it go. There were people inside the lobby who were just sitting around and relaxing, so he didn't want to be the odd one there. He turned to Dani and said, "Um, nevermind. You're right, it's probably just a false alarm. I might not have even felt a shiver. Heh, heck, might not even heard anything at all."

Dani raised a brow. "Okay...well, let's head on out and get ready to meet up with Val."

"Sure thing." agreed Danny as he went outside as he exited the hotel. As they walked over to the parking lot and to his car, they both have certain thoughts in their minds.

_'I hope Dick will tell him about the hotel having some haunted activity...hm. Maybe these ghosts will be friendly. Who knows? It would be nice for Danny to have some company and not be alone there.' _thought Dani.

_'...That was weird...it felt like...that time when I five all over again.' _Danny thought, a little perturbed. _'And Dani didn't hear or sense it, so...was it in my imagination?' _

They both entered Danny's green Mustang. As soon as he turned on the engine, Danny gripped the top of the steering wheel and took a deep breath and sighed.

Dani turned to him when she heard him sighed. She frowned, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just...really hope I get this job," Danny admitted.

Dani smiled at him. "Hey, if what you described about your interview is true, then I'm certain you'll get the job."

Danny turned to look at his clone cousin and he gave her a warm smile. "Thanks, Dani."

"No prob! Oh, did Val text you back?"

"Oh yeah. My phone vibrated when we were about to get to the car. Hold on," he got his phone out and he read the new text message he had in his phone.

_Sounds great! Pick anywhere you want to go! I'll even treat ya! ;)_

Danny chuckled, '_She doesn't have to treat me. What kind of friend would I be if I let a lady like her treat me for dinner? I mean, Mom didn't raise a cheapskate...' _he smiled. _'...Yeah. I think I will try to ask her out...maybe tonight. When we do our movie night.'_

"What are you smiling about?" said the sing-a-long voice of Dani. Danny could feel the smirk on her face being directed at him.

Turning his head to Dani, he smirked as well as he said, "You know, Dani, Dick's right. I need to get back to dating. So...I'm gonna try to ask her."

Dani blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?"

Chuckling, Danny repeated it, only clearer this time. "I'm gonna try to ask Val on a date."

Dani paused for a moment to process this...once she did, she grinned widely and yelled out, "HA-HA-HAAA! YES! You finally cracked!"

Danny, trying to play it cool, shrugged. "Hey, she's always been a very fun and cool gal. Plus, she's in good graces with 'Phantom' now, so...yeah, I like to have another shot with her."

"I bet that's not all you want another shot of," Dani smirked mischievously.

Blinking at that, Danny looked at Dani in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, Danny, you know you like your girls _thick_." Dani teased.

Danny's eyes were wide as his face was flushed red. "Whoa, uh...Dani, come on, I don't think like tha-"

"Oh, _please_, Danny, you glance and look at Val's butt every time she's not looking."

"Hey! That-I mean, I-I was, uh, I-I was just, I, I, um, I...uh..." Danny's words died there, while Dani's smirk was even broader.

"And you know, she _does_ keep herself in _very_ good shape."

"...Very much so." Danny muttered with a blush.

Dani cackled at Danny's expense. "Hahahaha!"

"Okay, so Val is _really_ attractive...she always was," Danny muttered that last part, the blush still on his face.

The young woman snickered. "Hey, either way, you got this in the bag, Romeo."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked her curiously.

"Oh, call it a woman's intuition," Dani said with a wink.

Danny stared at her with a narrowed eyed deadpan look. "...You do know you're a clone of me, right?"

"Look, don't worry about it. You two have been great friends for a long while now, so I'm sure Val feels the same way."

"...I feel like you're not telling me something." Danny said with a raised brow.

"Am I? I just want to see my favorite cousin here be happy."

"...Alright then. Well, _C__uz_, I think we should decide what we should do for supper and for us to pick a movie tonight. Any ideas?" Danny asked with a teasing smirk.

"Hmm...how about we let Val decide which movie we should watch? As for supper, _I _want to chow down on a burger tonight," suggested Dani.

"After drinking a milkshake?"

"Come on, you know you want one too."

"...We do share the same DNA." Danny grinned. "And yeah, we should let Val pick a movie this time around. I'll text her and ask her what kind of movies she wants to see. She always does pick good ones. She's kind of artsy that way."

"Oh, _really_? Tell me _more_." Dani slyly grinned.

Danny just once again looked at her with a dull glare.

"Pfft! How about I just text her while you drive?" Dani suggested with a smirk.

"...Only if you don't give her hints about me asking her on a date yet."

"Oh please, Daniel, that's all on _you. _I would _never _emasculate you on your manly duty to 'wooing' a woman."

Danny gave her another deadpan look. Rolling his eyes, he backed out his Mustang out of the parking space and drove out of the lot.

Once he drove out of the Overlook Hotel's property, he turned his head to glance at Dani and said to her with a warm smile, "Thanks again, Dani."

Dani, who was done texting Valerie, turned her head to her cousin and smiled warmly as well. "Hey, no problem, Cuz."

Chuckling at that, Danny looked back at the winding roads as he drove his car back to their home-away-from-homes in Colorado.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Overlook Hotel's structure stands tall.

It's filled with the life and activity of people, the history of this place admired by many.

The location also bears a serene setting where one can feel at peace here.

Laughter can be heard from small children as they play in the croquet fields outside, while the adults' lounge inside, conversing with each other as they stay and relax at the hotel.

Inside the hotel, the history of this place would sometimes be evident...while some of its history would be hidden from plain view.

If the walls could truly talk, they would tell its guests...what it truly hungers.

This location the hotel was built upon is said to be sacred ground in some way...

These grounds that the Overlook Hotel was built upon...is _sacred_...

No one truly knows why...

It just is...it _exists_.

Calling...every year...

...Until the 23rd year comes...when its hunger grows even more during that year...

It calls for one thing...

..._Souls_.

"_**...Danny."**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! You know the drill, tell me what you think! I hope I did well on this chapter! :D
> 
> The next chapter will be when Danny, Dani, and Valerie have their movie night, as well as interact with one another, along with some humorous GrayGhost sprinkled in there! ;) Just a little something until the calm before the storm. Which, by the way, 'spoiler alert', this story wouldn't exist if Danny didn't get the caretaker job. XD
> 
> Either way, hope you're all enjoying this so far! I'm thinking Danny will be in the Overlook Hotel around the sixth or seventh chapter. Until then, wish me luck on getting there! :D
> 
> Tell me what you think! If you love it, give me a fave and a follow! Want to give me feedback or tell me how it is? Leave a review! :)
> 
> Thank you all for reading so far and until then, keep on rocking everybody! ^_^
> 
> -TSP


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